


The Fifth Marauder

by allytherandomizer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Marauders Era (Harry Potter)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:21:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 36,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23806801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allytherandomizer/pseuds/allytherandomizer
Summary: This is a reader-insert for the Marauders Era of everyone's favorite wizarding world, which was previously published on DeviantArt.With Harry's first-born on the way, he seeks to learn more about his parents' past with the help of the only woman alive who still knew them: you, his godmother, _____ (L/N)-Snape a.k.a. Claws, the fifth Marauder.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Reader, Sirius Black/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 89





	1. Chapter 1

It was after dinner one night at the Burrow when you had volunteered to handle the cleaning, especially since Molly desperately needed the sleep and you were technically on break from St. Mungo's. As you finished the dishes, you could feel a pair of green eyes staring at you, the young man they belonged to trying to decide whether or not now was a good time to ask you about what he had seen that night during his Occlumency lessons with Severus along with the memories he had seen during the Battle of Hogwarts. You were the only survivor out of all of his parents' friends along with being his godmother, and Harry needed answers now more than ever considering Ginny was pregnant with their first child. Chuckling lightly, you turned toward him after finishing up and saying, "For Merlin's sake, Harry. Just ask the question."

He smiled lightly as he sat at the table. Your bluntness always made him feel better, knowing that you wouldn't hold back unless he asked you to do so. You sat down next to him as he said, "I really should know by now that I can't hide anything from you, _____."

You rolled your eyes as you said, "With all the trouble your dad and Sirius got me into, I had to preserve myself somehow."

Harry nodded in agreement at that, remembering you, Remus, and Sirius talking adamantly about your school days during his time at Grimmauld Place with the Order of the Phoenix. A comfortable silence ensued after you had brought the tea that you had been making for the two of you over and asked, "You've been wondering just how much truth was in Severus' thoughts and memories about all of us, haven't you?"

Harry nodded once again before saying, "And even if the others were still around, they'd be as vague about it now as they were when they'd tell me about it back then. You'd still be the only one who would be able to tell me everything about all of them considering what happened between Snape and Mum. "

"I'd also be the one mad enough to tell you," you said with a small chuckle before asking, "So where do you want me to begin my tale? Unless you want us to use a Pensieve?"

He chuckled and sipped his tea before setting the cup on the table asking, "I've had more than enough experience with it. I also know that I don't need one when it's you telling me about the past. You said that you knew Dad before school, right? Why don't we start there?"

Nodding, you looked out the window as you said, "As I said before, your dad knew how to get me into trouble."

_"What on earth are you doing?" you said while looking at your neighbor. He simply gave you that mischievous grin of his before turning back to whatever he was working on for his latest scheme. Sighing, you turned to start walking back to the living room when James grabbed your hand and pulled you over saying, "Come on, _____. This is my best plan yet. I'm gonna need your help, though."_

_"It can't be that good of a plan if you can't do it yourself."_

_"That's low, _____."_

_You shook your head at him pretending to be hurt by that comment. You'd known him since the two of you were in diapers, and you were smarter than the average nine-year-old. The one thing you knew above all else was that James Potter was a trickster by nature, and you ended up dragged along in his hair-brained schemes more times than you cared to admit. Sighing, you went along with it, considering he would spend weeks begging and pleading until you gave in anyway. Taking the various items, you helped him set up the prank for the other dinner guests' children considering the party Mr. and Mrs. Potter were having had practically all of their friends around._

_Despite the Potters being purebloods, they adored muggle-borns and half-bloods alike, including yourself. Your mother is a muggle-born while your father is a pureblood, thus your half-blood status. Your parents have always been great friends to the Potters, making you their honorary niece. They knew you from the day you were born and spoiled you endlessly, although part of that might have had to do with the fact that you had yet to beat the pulp out of their son and had enough patience to handle him._

_You were shaken out of your thoughts when the other children started screaming and laughing at the various disgusting sludges exploded from their containers onto them. One look at James next to you told you that whatever punishment was worth it, if only for that utterly happy smile on his face. Both of you ran for his room, as Mr. Potter hadn't given James his Invisibility Cloak yet, and shut the door as quietly as possible, quickly setting up the Wizard Chess set and acting innocent. That trick was something that the two of you had learned came fairly useful earlier on in your lifelong friendship, and when Mrs. Potter and your mum came inside, the former with an amused smile while the latter had her arms crossed, the two of you looked up at them as you asked, "Is it time to go home already?"_

_Your mother's narrowed eyes said it all. Sighing, you bid your best friend goodbye, hugging before leaving with your shoulders sagged, knowing that you wouldn't be allowed to go to the Potter's house for a month._

Chuckling lightly at the memory, you shook your head as you said, "He wasn't allowed to use his broomstick for months. Your grandfather made sure of that. And he became quite the whiny little brat at that time considering I was still able to use mine. Fortunately, that was one of the few things I would never give in to with him. Your grandfather was downright terrifying when someone made him mad enough, and I was not going to be the target for it."

"I can't imagine you being scared of much, _____. It seems odd," Harry said with a small smile, to which you rolled your eyes before hearing someone come downstairs. Seeing your daughter appear in the doorway, you chuckled lightly while getting another cup of tea and handing it to her saying, "I was wondering when you'd show up."

"There's only so much I can take with a pregnant woman," she said while taking it gratefully, "I blame you."

He laughed at that, having known your daughter since their first year, before saying, "Aren't you pregnant too?"

(D/N) stuck her tongue out at him before saying, "Watch it, Potter. Sooner or later both of us are going to become nearly insufferable with our hormones, and you will be miserable. Let’s consider ourselves lucky Ron and Hermione aren’t trying yet."

You laughed lightly before she turned over to you and asked, "So how much of the Marauders story have I missed?"

Even though you'd told her the story countless times, she never tired of it. Still chuckling, you said, "Just the dinner party before James and I started school."

She simply smiled as she sipped her tea, waiting for you to carry on. You told them about all kinds of other mischiefs the two of you had gotten into before your thoughts turned to that first train ride as you said, "It was funny to see James so nervous even though he tried so hard to hide it."


	2. Chapter 2

_You made your way onto the train with James behind you, shaking like a leaf even though he tried to hide it before finding an open compartment with only enough room for him. The other three there were all boys, so you sent your best friend a wave, glad that he had stopped shaking once they introduced themselves to him. You made your way over to another compartment, seeing one with a red-haired girl and a black-haired boy. Giving them a friendly smile, you put your trunk into storage and said, "Hello there. I'm _____ (L/N). Could I sit with you?"_

_The redhead returned your smile and said, "Sure. I'm Lily Evans. It's nice to meet you."_

_She nudged her friend in the shoulder, to which he sighed before saying, "Severus Snape."_

_Seeing that he was not the friendly type, you simply nodded in acknowledgment before taking out the book you had been reading and continued onward, somewhat relieved that James wasn't here to be loud and obnoxious, something he's known for when it came to meeting people that you had befriended. He was the protective type, and considering how long and deep your friendship with him was, James was even more so when it came to meeting new people. After about an hour, you closed your book and looked up to see that Severus was staring at you before Lily began asking questions for the two of them. Telling them about yourself, you began to find that you enjoyed their company and had a lot in common. Slowly but steadily, Severus joined in on the conversation, especially when the topic of potions came up._

_The trolley woman came and went, and before you knew it, it was time to change into your robes. Once the three of you were done, you returned to your conversation. Before long, the train had come to a stop and you saw a giant of a man calling all first-years over. As you headed over, you bid Severus and Lily goodbye before making your way through the crowd to look for James. As soon as you found him, the two of you were placed on a boat with other first years that neither of you knew, since he and his new friends had gotten separated by the crowds._

_The view you two got to see of the castle made you forget about that for the time being. It was amazing if the fact that it got James of all people to shut up for a few minutes was anything to go by. All of that changed when you made it inside, though. Thoughts about House placement came to your mind for the first time since you and James had received your letters, and you had to say that you were terrified that you may end up in different Houses. The two of you had been together for so long that not being able to talk to him every day was worse than any other punishment your mum and dad could come up with._

_James, upon sensing your nervousness, felt more jittery himself as the two of you stood, waiting for Professor McGonagall to come back to lead you to where you would discover what House you would belong to for the next seven years, said, "Hey, don't worry about it, even if we're in different Houses, we'll still be friends. Unless you get into Slytherin. Then I'm never talking to you again."_

_You weren't quite sure if he was being serious on that last part, to which he released a shaky laugh and said, "Come on, _____. They'll know better than to separate the two of us."_

_You knew that he wanted to be in Gryffindor more than anything, and if he didn't get it, James would be devastated. But his nerves seemed to be getting the better of him right now, and if you weren't in the same situation you would have laughed at him for it. After what seemed like forever, the door opened and Professor McGonagall came in to take all of you to the Great Hall. Despite your legs feeling like noodles, you walked ahead of your friend for once, and the two of you made it into the Great Hall, staring at the floating candles and enchanted ceiling in awe. In front of you and the rest of the first years was a three-legged stool with a worn wizard's hat on top of it. Remembering your mum and dad mention the Sorting Hat, you stared at it before it began this year's song._

_Upon finishing, the Great Hall erupted in applause before quieting down once again as Professor McGonagall opened the scroll and read some names of people you didn't know, a few of them being Sorted into Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. After the newest Ravenclaw sat down, she called, "Black, Sirius."_

_James' eyes widened slightly as he said, "He was one of the boys in my compartment. I didn't know he was a Black."_

_You lightly stepped on his foot to tell him to be quiet. The Sorting Hat seemed to take longer with Sirius, even though it should have been a simple placement in Slytherin. You and James had known of the Black family since you were old enough to talk, so it shocked both of you as well as many older students when the Sorting Hat yelled out, "GRYFFINDOR!!!"_

_It was silent for a moment before the Gryffindor table realized that it as their turn to welcome the first of their newest students. They gave him applause and cheers before it all calmed down once again. A couple more were Sorted into Houses, with Slytherin gaining its first new students as well. Before long, Lily was up there, and you smiled lightly while telling James that you sat with her on the train. He kept his gaze on her the whole time, making you roll your eyes as the Sorting Hat placed her in Gryffindor as well. Up next came more of his new friends Peter and Remus, who were put into Gryffindor as well._

_Looking across the way, you could see Severus towards the middle. His gaze found yours, and you gave him a friendly smile before hearing James' name being called up. He strode up to the stool confidently, although you could see the slight shaking in his legs, and the Sorting Hat had barely touched his head before it announced that he was in Gryffindor. You smiled at him and gave him a thumbs-up, waiting in absolute agony as more people were Sorted. Severus was up next, and you gave him an encouraging nod before the hat fell over his head. It took the Sorting Hat far longer than with Sirius to decide what House he would be in, and right when you thought it wasn't going to end, the hat bellowed out, "SLYTHERIN!!!"_

_Severus looked over to Lily, sadness in his eyes before his gaze turned to you. Finding the House rivalry ridiculous, you gave him an encouraging smile as the Slytherin table cheered for him. It was only you and a few other first years left, and now that none of your friends were with you, you were starting to feel the panic that they had kept at bay, and felt as if this couldn't get any worse._

_And then Professor McGonagall called your name._

_Gulping, you slowly walked up the stairs and sat on the stool, taking a deep breath as the Sorting Hat fell over your eyes. All of a sudden, you heard the hat say in your head, 'My, you're quite the difficult one as well, Miss (L/N). Studious, cunning, loyal, and brave. There's no doubt that you would do well in any of the Houses. But where to put you? You wish to be with your friends, but they have already been split.'_

_'I want to be able to try to put an end to the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin,' was your response, to which he said, 'Really, now? And how will you do that?'_

_'I don't know yet, but I am going to try, even if James may hate me for it.'_

_'A brave thing to do, indeed, Miss (L/N).'_

_He then yelled out to the Great Hall, "GRYFFINDOR!!!"_

_Letting out the breath you hadn't realized you were holding, you walked over to your table, sending Severus a small smile as you sat down between Lily and James, seeing your best friend bothering the poor girl while the rest of the first years were Sorted. You hope that you can do what you set out to, although it's going to most likely take more than your seven years at this school to fix it._

"And that was our first day at Hogwarts. About a week later, Sirius had received a Howler from his mum telling him how much of a shame he was to the Black family, which he wisely chose to open in the dorms. James teased him for weeks about that," you said with a fond smile, your head swirling with the memories involving the feast and meeting your fellow Gryffindor first years. Sirius was so much like James that you thought that you would never keep him out of trouble, although Remus seemed to be a lot like you, so you'd have some help. Peter looked like he wanted to be as small as possible, although he hung onto every word that James and Sirius said. You and Lily talked with the other girls for a while as you ate considering the five of you would be sharing a room.

You then looked over to the two young adults right in front of you, listening to your babbling. Shaking your head, your smile turned melancholy as you said, "You two must be bored to death by an old woman speaking her thoughts."

(D/N) shook her head as she took your hand and said, "Mum, trust us. We're glad you're telling us this. And stop saying you're old. You can't say that until you are Dumbledore's age."

Chuckling lightly, you squeezed her hand to let you know that you were fine. Turning to look at Harry, you saw him contemplating what his next question would be before he turned to you and asked, "What made you think of trying to end the rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor?"

"Hearing your dad go on and on about how petty they were for years without reading a single book about Hogwarts before we even set foot into the castle made me want to educate him good and proper. Sure, Slytherin tended to have the darkest wizards after they finish school, but the other three have had their share as well. Wormtail was a prime example of that," you said bitterly. Even though he was long gone, you still couldn't find it in yourself to forgive the old rat for betraying Lily and James like that. Sirius would have joined in at that point with an angry tirade about the traitor. Remus would have sighed and returned to whatever he had been reading, or he would have gone to help Tonks with Teddy in an attempt to keep the past in its rightful place. Severus would have turned away with a scoff, muttering about how he wished he could pour every single poison in his special cabinet down Wormtail's throat. Before you could even think about what James and Lily would do, you shook your head in an attempt to clear your thoughts.

Turning to look at your daughter and godson, you shook your head again and said, "Anyway, there wasn't only that but the fact that if he wasn't so damn adamant about being in Gryffindor that James probably would have been placed in Slytherin. He was as cunning as they come, and he knew what to do to get what he wanted."

That coming from your mouth surprised Harry as he asked, "How do you know?"

"Because years later, I had asked the Sorting Hat if there was any other chance of James being placed in another House. He had told me that if his mind wasn't positively screaming to put him in Gryffindor, he would have had to weigh between that and Slytherin. James could have fit into either with relative ease, just as I could have," you said, remembering that waiting for a meeting with Albus during your seventh year. You had been wondering that for a long time, and the Sorting Hat had talked to you first, so you figured you'd ask him. And he had given you your answer.

Harry sat back for a second as his thoughts turned to his Sorting. After a few moments, he turned back to you and asked, "What happened next?"

You simply smiled lightly and continued your tale.


	3. Chapter 3

_The next week consisted of you and the rest of the first years making yourselves familiar with both your schedules and the layout of the castle, James and Sirius getting lost more times than they cared to admit while you, Remus, and Lily made your way around rather easily. With the few classes that you had with the Slytherins, you and Lily sat with Severus, easily ignoring the whispers surrounding the three of you, and the young redhead telling you earlier on in the week that she was pleasantly surprised by how well the two of you got along since he only ever talked to her before school. You had shrugged at the time and said that you thought it was the possibility of beginning with a clean slate that he hadn't had at home._

_It was also during those times that James acted as if he didn't know you as a joke, mostly because he was developing a small crush on Lily at the time and had learned that she and Severus were childhood friends much like you and him. So while he didn't like the fact that the two of you hung around a Slytherin, he wisely kept quiet about it around you, lest he face both you and Lily's wrath. She had proven earlier on in the week that she was not above taking him down a notch or two when he started talking about himself in ways that made you nearly want to hurl your breakfast. And she had you to tell embarrassing childhood stories about James to her, so for a good while of the first year, the Marauders and Severus didn't talk to each other much, and on the occasions that James and Severus had a spat, you or Lily would appear and calm the tension._

_James and Sirius played various pranks all around the castle, surprising virtually nobody when they had done so, although how they refrained from getting in trouble half the time remained a mystery to all but your group of friends. Peter followed them around like a lost puppy, and you and Remus wisely stayed in the common room, studying and doing homework with Lily when the two of you weren't hanging out with Severus._

_Before heading off to bed one night, Lily pulled open your drapes and sat down next to you after closing them and saying, "So what took the Sorting Hat so long to place you in Gryffindor?"_

_Your cheeks had turned pink, thinking that it hadn't taken all that long. Severus had taken the longest out of all the first years, as everyone had been saying, but Lily knew him far better than you did. Shrugging your shoulders, you asked, "How long did it take?"_

_"About four minutes. I knew Severus was going to take a while, but I half expected both of you to be placed in Ravenclaw. Both of you are extremely intelligent."_

_Your cheeks became darker at the compliment and you said, "I guess we were more cunning and brave, respectively. The Sorting Hat said that I was difficult to place, saying I had traits that all of the Houses took pride in."_

_"What made him pick Gryffindor?" she asked as excitement filled those green eyes of hers. It was times like these that she reminded you of James. Ignoring that thought, you told her about how much you couldn't stand the rivalry between Gryffindor and Slytherin and what you had told the Sorting Hat that led to his final decision. She smiled at you and said, "That's amazing, _____. I'll help you."_

_"Really? How, Lily?"_

_"We've already started with continuing our friendship with Severus. There may be a real possibility."_

_"Are you sure? If Severus were to find out, I highly doubt he would still consider me a friend. I haven't known him nearly as long as you have," you said as you started wringing your hands._

_She simply smiled softly and said, "We'll keep it between the two of us, then."_

_Nodding in agreement, you bid each other good night before she went to her bed. Sighing, you closed your eyes and fell asleep._

"And so Lily and I began planning various ways to bring Gryffindor and Slytherin off their high horses and get along. As you can see, it didn't work out too well, but we remained friends with Severus. While that was going on, James and Sirius had somehow managed to convince Professor McGonagall to allow them onto the Quidditch team as first years. They never revealed how they managed to do it though, even when Lily had asked, which was usually a sound way to get James to spill out anything. Although I suspect it had something to do with the fact that Madame Hooch had told her just how talented they were. Hell, she even put in a good word for me, although I wouldn't get onto the team until the following year. What also helped was the fact that Gryffindor's star Chaser and one of its best Beaters had graduated the year before. The day they got in made their heads grow so big we didn't think they'd be able to fit into the Great Hall," you chuckled out.

"You never told me you were on the Quidditch team," (D/N) said to which you raised an eyebrow and said, "I figured you'd look at the trophy cases at school. Besides, I only played because James refused to give back my school bag until I promised I would go to tryouts. Quidditch wasn't my thing. It still isn't, if I'm honest."

You could see Lily, Severus, and Remus rolling their eyes at you as Sirius and James laughed at you. You may not have enjoyed watching Quidditch or all the practice, but you had a hell of a competitive streak in you, and with both you and Sirius as Beaters, you were nearly unstoppable. Harry seemed to have some idea as to how big of a lie that was, as he was shaking from trying to subdue his laughter, only to end up doing so just as loudly and obnoxiously as his father and godfather would have. As he wiped the tears from his eyes, he said, "Sirius had told me just how scared he was of you during Quidditch matches. He even said he purposely stayed on the opposite end to make sure he didn't get hit accidentally."

"Well I'm glad I could amuse you, considering your dad was ten times worse than me," you said haughtily before hearing someone moving upstairs. The three of you were silent as whoever it was finished what they were doing before heading back to bed. Sighing in relief, you thought back to that first year to think of anything else interesting happening. Coming up with nothing, you said, "While the rest of the year went by relatively smoothly, summer had come and we all parted ways. Letters were written, photos were sent, and the trips to Diagon Alley had transpired. Before we knew it, all of us were on the train joking around and catching up, ready to begin our second year of school, although the House rivalry started rearing its ugly head once again."

_"For Merlin's sake, James. Slow down," you said as he dragged you onto the train by the arm, your trunks and owls already packed in. Honestly, if he kept it up, you would need to go to the hospital wing right when you got there. Luckily, James found that the two compartments consisting of both of your groups of friends were across from each other. He quickly hopped into the one with Lily and Severus, easily ignoring the Slytherin aside from a few snide comments as he started talking to Lily. Rolling your eyes, you took him by the back of his jacket and said, "Honestly James. Get out before I hex you."_

_He simply smirked at something behind you, making you raise an eyebrow before being nearly tackled to the ground by Sirius. Somehow managing to steady yourself, you gave the young Black a couple pats on the back before pulling away. You gave Remus a small smile and Peter a wave before pushing the more obnoxious two out of your compartment, shutting the door, and leaning against it as you sighed. Lily giggled lightly as Severus sent a small smirk your way, to which you gave them a tired smile saying, "They have all year with me. You'd think they'd let me have a little time without them."_

_"I don't see how you can stand being near Potter all year. How have you not gone mad?" Severus asked, to which you shrugged and said, "Beats me. Merlin knows he gets me into more trouble than anything else. Although he does have his good days."_

_Lily rolled her eyes at the two of you, knowing that you were going to say something like that from the get-go. You rolled your eyes at her while sticking your tongue out before spending the rest of the journey to Hogwarts catching up with the two._

_It wasn't until about three weeks into your second year that James and Sirius began asking you to join the Quidditch team. And it took another two before they'd finally made you give in and go to tryouts._

_"_____, the Quidditch team needs another Beater, and you're one of the best I know."_

_"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, James. You know that."_

_"Really, James. If _____ would rather hang around with Evans and Snivellus than help us win the Quidditch Cup, I say good riddance."_

_"His name is Severus, dear Mr. Black. And I would be more than glad to do so. Too bad guilt-tripping had worn its welcome with me by the time James and I were ten."_

_"Really ______? We need you! McGonagall even said that the team needs you! Why won't you join!?"_

_"Because I'm not obsessed with a little game like the two of you are! Now leave me alone!"_

_"Quidditch isn't some little game, _____! It's the sport of the wizarding world!"_

_This argument had been going in circles for days. Another Beater had graduated, and James and Sirius were insistent on you joining the team this year. You had gone to maybe one Quidditch match last year, and that was because James had threatened to "collect" everyone's ink and pour it on you while you were asleep. None of you had known about the magic involving the girls' dormitories staircase at the time because nine times out of ten you were the one getting James out of bed in the boys' dormitories, and even if you did, those two hooligans would have tried to find a way around it._

_As you had tried to turn your attention back to your homework with Lily, your school bag was taken from underneath your chair. Pulling out your wand, you were about ready to hex your friends until you froze at seeing James holding the bag filled with your school supplies toward the window before growling out, "If you want to live, give the bag back."_

_"I will, only if you solemnly swear and promise that you'll come to tryouts next week and truly try your best," James said with that troublemaker smirk of his in place. Seems he still knew how important promises were to you and that you did your damnedest to never break them. Even Lily chastising him for being so incredibly immature would not stop James, considering he probably hadn't heard a word she's said. Sirius had his wand out just in case you decided to kill James considering even he could see that they were on your last nerve, or for the smallest chance of saving your bag if James threw it out the window. However, you weren't going to take that chance._

_You and James simply stared at one another. You knew that if you refused, he would throw the bag out without a second thought. James was never one to give in, but you didn't want to play Quidditch. You wanted to focus on your studies and your goal of diffusing tensions between Gryffindor and Slytherin. But you couldn't come out and say that. James would either be so shocked that he accidentally dropped your bag or laugh obnoxiously at you for thinking that was even possible and purposely toss it. Knowing you weren't one to bring in the waterworks to get your way put him at an even higher advantage, so you sighed out, "I solemnly swear and promise to participate in Quidditch tryouts to the best of my ability next week."_

_Your pride was wounded and you felt so stupid, but James kept his word and handed you your bag back, to which you gathered up the rest of your things and walked up to your dorm, hearing Lily yelling at him for what he'd done. It wasn't until you got into your dorm that you realized that tears were streaming down your face freely at this point because you knew that he had gotten you into doing something you didn't want to do again, and you had let him. You could still hear Lily yelling at James because she was that angry with him for doing that to you, who was supposed to be his best friend. You then heard angry footsteps as she climbed up the staircase. When your green-eyed friend opened the door, you could hear Remus say, "Honestly, James. Why do you have to take things too far to get your way?"_

_Lily then closed the door before you could hear anything else and walked over, kneeling in front of you as she said, "I'm sorry I couldn't do anything to help. I just hate seeing him do this to you, _____."_

_Your tears kept flowing as you wrapped your arms around her and cried. A few minutes later, the two of you heard footsteps before somebody went toppling down the stairs. Your eyes widened as you ran to the door and opened it only to see that the staircase had become more of a slide, and at the end was James Potter looking like a human pretzel. His gaze caught both yours and Lily's since she had run over with you for a split second before you both turned back, slamming the door behind you._


	4. Chapter 4

"It took him two months afterward to get me to speak to him again unless it was necessary," you said, remembering that the great James Potter had got down on his hands and knees and begged for you to forgive him in front of everyone in the Great Hall, making you resemble a tomato as you finally did so if only to make all the attention on the two of you go away. (D/N) laughed lightly as you told them this part, and even Harry cracked a smile, although his thoughts were still on what his dad had done to get you to join the Quidditch team.

You sighed and said, "That had to be one of the worst of the few fights James and I had. It took him far longer to get Lily to be somewhat civil to him after that. But during that time, he and Sirius started their bullying antics on Severus as well, usually when Lily and I weren't around, which wasn't that often considering I had been spending far more time with them than James and the gang. We did the best we could to help him, but there's only so much two second years can do, and Lily was one of the most promising witches in our year."

Harry looked out the window before turning his attention back to you as you said, "The most exciting part of that year was finding out Remus's little secret, though, which had happened another two months after all was forgiven with the 'Quidditch Incident.'"

(D/N) smirked as she said, "I remember this one."

Ignoring the blush on your cheeks, you said, "Let's just say that I had some pretty bad timing."

_You ran up the stairs, knowing that James was going to be harder today than usual simply because your first class was Potions with the Slytherins. The boys were used to you coming in and waking the poor Potter along with Sirius and Peter up before heading down to the common room and talking to Remus as the two of you waiting for the others so that everyone could head down to the Great Hall together._

_When you finally reached the door, you opened it to see a shirtless Remus, although what shocked you was the scars of what looked to be a bite and scratches. Your bag fell to the floor, startling your friend as he turned to see you in the doorway. Remus quickly put on a shirt before you whispered, "What the bloody hell happened to you?"_

_He simply walked past you with his books saying, "We can talk about it while the others are getting ready."_

_He then walked down the stairs, to which you stood there for a few more seconds before grabbing your bag and taking out your wand, using it to flip the other three out of bed and onto the floor, Sirius rubbing his head where he had hit it while Peter rubbed his bum and James staggered up to a standing position. They knew by now that it was no use trying to go back to bed, and started grabbing their clothes to get dressed. You then raced after Remus, taking him to a more secluded part of the common room as you asked, "Remus, when did this happen? What happened?"_

_"I was attacked by a dog when I was young, _____. I don't like talking about it either, and the others don't know about it. Please don't tell them," he said it so fast that you could barely understand him. You knew that there was doubt in your eyes and that there was more to it than he wasn't telling you, and he knew it, too. Some of those scars looked as if they had just healed, but you knew that he wouldn't tell you._

_Resigned at your lack of options, you sighed and nodded saying, "I won't tell them, Remus. I promise. I just hope that you realize that you can trust us with anything."_

_You could see the relief in his eyes that you chose not to press him for more answers at the moment before the two of you turned to the girls' staircase to see that Lily was coming down and looking for you. Both of you walked over to her to wait for the rest of the boys. A few minutes later, Sirius and Peter walked down the stairs, the former with a small smirk on his face as he said, "_____, James said he doesn't feel too good today."_

_Your eyes narrowed as you practically stalked up the stairs yelling out, "James Fleamont Potter! By Merlin's beard, if you're not up and dressed, I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp!"_

_You easily ignored the various sighs and laughter as you saw your best friend once again in bed. Gritting your teeth, you walked over, grabbed the covers, and practically ripped them off of him to see that he was dressed for once, luckily. Quickly grabbing his bag as well, you took James' arm and started dragging his body across the floor. He was quite a small guy still, so this was relatively easy. It wasn't until you reached the staircase that he was conscious enough to say, "Okay! Okay! I'm up!"_

_The rest of the day was business as usual, but your thoughts always returned to what happened this morning whenever you had a moment to yourself._

_You couldn't let it go, no matter how hard you tried. Not only were there the scars, but Remus would have to leave once a month for one reason or another ever since the first year. The boys were suspicious too, and so the four of you were currently in the library as all of you connected the dots in your heads. Remus would have been far better off if he didn't tell you that a dog attacked him. While it wasn't exactly a lie, it wasn't the whole truth, either. All of you had to explain it to Peter before you sat contemplating how to go about this with Remus. He didn't want you to know, but you were his friends and were worried about him. It didn't take long for James to come up with an insane, but ever so brilliant, idea that made you whisper, "You want us to learn to become Animagi and NOT REGISTER WITH THE MINISTRY? Did somebody put something in your pumpkin juice this morning?"_

_James rolled his eyes before saying, "_____, this could help Remus immensely. If we had animal forms--"_

_"--He wouldn't attack us. Yes James, I know. But it took Professor McGonagall YEARS to master it. What makes you think the four of us will be able to do it?"_

_"Our generation has some of the brightest wizards and witches to date, including us," James said, smug smirk in place, "If anybody could do it, it's the four right here."_

_"And what makes you think Remus will go along with this idea, assuming he doesn't have a heart attack when we tell him that we know," you said, worried for your friend. If it wasn't you and Lily telling these three off for their stupidity, it was him. Hell, Remus was at times the only person keeping you sane with all the chaos, although he did join in occasionally._

_"We'll just have to tell him. Together. It's the best way, and we can't tell anybody else," Sirius said at last, to which all four of you nodded in agreement before gathering your stuff. You waved the boys off as you made your way in front of the Great Hall to meet up with Lily and Severus._

"While discussing the plan made it seem that we would handle things maturely, Sirius had a different idea," you sighed out, your thoughts turning back to him getting James and Peter to agree on tackling poor Remus to the ground when you had left. You had kept your lips sealed on Remus being a werewolf to Severus and Lily, saying that James and Sirius were boring you to death coming up with new Quidditch strategies and reminding you about the practice that evening about a thousand times, something that wasn't an uncommon occurrence considering your attempts to skip to try to get kicked off the team, only for James and Sirius to somehow find you wherever you were and drag you to the field kicking and screaming. Considering they hadn't made the Marauder's Map yet, the idea having not even crossed their minds, you wondered how they always managed to find you.

Your gaze found those familiar green eyes, and for a moment, you mistook your godson for his mother. Chuckling lightly at your foolishness, you turned your gaze out the window to the field outside for a few moments to collect yourself. (D/N) took hold of your hands again and said, "We can stop, for now, Mum. It's getting late."

"It's not even midnight. You worry about me far too much, dear," you said with a wave of your hand, seeing yourself in her more and more as well as her father. Harry started to stand to help her with you, only for you to say, "I know more hexes than the two of you combined, many of which I can perform without lifting my wand. I am a grown woman and will go to bed when I decide to do so."

Both of them laughed lightly at you before sitting down once again. If there was one thing about you that anyone would know, it's that you are incredibly stubborn. Letting out another sigh, you looked over to the two of them and said, "Remus had heaved out a sigh of relief when we stuck around after telling him what we had figured out, seeing as that spoke louder than our promises ever could. He even helped all of us when it came to learning how to become Animagi. I don't think we would have accomplished it nearly as fast as we did if he hadn't. With our new animal forms coming to fruition came our nicknames, thanks to Sirius. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, Prongs, and Claws. But I'll get more into that later."

_Remus seemed far more relaxed now that he didn't have to keep his secret from the four of you. He seemed far more cheerful too, although one not so great thing was that he participated in the boys' pranks more often, but not nearly as often as Peter. He had quite the mischievous glint in his eyes as well, although he was still the ever reserved Remus all of you knew._

_The next big thing to come out of that year was the last Quidditch game of the season, which was something in and of itself. As usual, it was Gryffindor versus Slytherin. You were far more nervous than James and Sirius, especially considering you nearly ended up in the hospital wing last time thanks to the Slytherin Beaters hitting everything they had at you after putting two of their Chasers out of the game. And from the looks on their faces, they hadn't forgotten about it, either. As soon as Madame Hooch began the game, you and Sirius soared up, keeping keen eyes on those bloody Bludgers._

_While you knew you should keep your focus on your position, your eyes were darting from all the blurs of green before looking across the field at Sirius and spotting a Slytherin Beater aiming straight for James. Quickly make your way to one of the little buggers, you swung and your aim struck true, hitting both the other Bludger and causing it to ricochet and hit the Slytherin Beater in the chest, thus making him tumble onto the ground. Cringing lightly, you knew from experience that it hurt like hell, but you didn't have enough time to feel sorry for him, as another Bludger was making its way towards you. Pulling away just enough, you took another swing and aimed toward a Slytherin Chaser, Lestrange, you believe was his surname._

_The shot wasn't quite forceful enough to make the Bludger hit him though. But it was away from your teammates, and that's all you needed to know. You circled, keeping an eye out for your Seeker, in particular, considering James and the other Chasers were going back and forth, although Gryffindor was leading by 30 points. It wasn't until you saw her diving down that you saw the one remaining Slytherin Beater zooming towards her, no Bludger insight. Narrowing your eyes, you sped your broom as fast as it could go before being slammed toward the stands, vaguely hearing the announcer say something about Slytherins playing dirty. Turning, you saw that it was one of the Slytherin Chasers, and so you yelled out, "Sirius! Get Andrea out of the line of fire!"_

_The Chaser, Mullen you believe was his surname, turned to see the sly dog aim and hit the other Slytherin Beater without harming Andrea while you flew away, only to end up surrounded by all three of them. Narrowing your eyes, you shot up like a bullet, the only thought in your head being, 'Distract them long enough for Andrea to catch the Snitch. That's all I have to do.'_

_Unfortunately, your broom took the brunt of the hit of a Bludger at the time, making you let out a screech before turning and chasing after the thing, taking aim, and hitting it with everything you had. It took down the Chaser closest to the ground, but by the time they had realized it, the announcer had said, "And Andrea Wilson catches the Snitch! Gryffindor wins 370 to 220! And with the final count, Gryffindor wins for the season!"_

_You couldn't celebrate for too long before being hit on both sides. All you saw as you fell were two green blurs. Then your vision turned black._


	5. Chapter 5

_You woke up a day later, only to be nearly smothered to death from the two pranksters' death grips. Luckily, James and Sirius let you go, the former saying, "You gave us quite the scare there, _____."_

_"Yeah, we thought you'd never wake up. James, our little girl's going to be alright!" Sirius said while embracing the young Potter, pretending to be a sobbing mess. James returned the embrace, being as loud and obnoxious as his counterpart. Peter gave you a timid smile while Remus rolled his eyes at the two still acting ridiculously before sitting in the chair next to your cot and asking, "How are you feeling?"_

_"Like I've been run over by the Knight Bus. What did I miss?" you asked while sitting up, flinching slightly at just how sore your body felt. James and Sirius calmed down and sat on either side of your bed, and it was then that you noticed that Lily occupied the other chair and Severus stood next to her, scowling at them although it wasn't nearly as hard as it usually was. Smiling softly at being surrounded by all of your friends, you turned to James as he gazed over at Severus and said, "You should have seen Snivellus when you hit the ground, _____. He nearly hexed those two twats off of their brooms after slowing down your fall."_

_Was that awe you heard from James? For someone that he despised? Did you hit your head too hard?_

_Lily told him off for calling your friend that dreadful nickname before Sirius said, "As much as we hate to say it if it wasn't for him you probably wouldn't be awake right now."_

_You smiled lightly before turning your gaze over to Severus, saw the slight pink coloring on his nose, and said, "Thank you. I hope you didn't get into too much trouble."_

_"Professor Slughorn was so livid with those Chasers that he couldn't focus on anything else," was his response as he turned his gaze towards you._

_Lily then said, "I heard that he and Professor Dumbledore are trying to decide whether or not to send them home as we speak."_

_Your smile fell as you felt guilty for being the reason over all of this. Remus, who had seen it, quickly changed the subject saying, "Madam Pomfrey says that after checking you over once more, you should be able to head back to the common room."_

_"Oh yeah. We should go tell Andrea to get everything ready for the party. Come on, Sirius," James said while starting to head off. Both gave you a two-fingered salute before running off, Peter and Remus following them after wishing you well. You smiled while waving them off before turning over to Severus and Lily, and you then asked, "So what else have I missed?"_

_The young Slytherin sat where James had earlier, putting in his two cents as Lily told you how James and Sirius were about ready to beat the Chasers to pulps with their brooms if it weren't for Andrea and a few other team members holding them back, something that they had "forgotten" to mention. The team had to be kicked out of the hospital wing and wait with the rest of them while Madam Pomfrey had treated you for your broken arm and a few cracked ribs as well as a few other injuries that you had stopped the redhead from telling you, already feeling slightly sick._

_Meanwhile, Severus was calling you a fool for even taking the bait to begin with. You had shrugged it off, knowing that he didn't mean it. He wouldn't have slowed down your fall if he didn't care about you, and so you let him spit out the biting insults with a small smile adorning your face. A few minutes later, Madam Pomfrey shooed them outside and checked you over. Once she deemed you healthy enough, you grabbed the school robes that Lily had brought you and quickly changed. When you were done and your Quidditch uniform was folded neatly under your arm, you walked out and met up with them, chatting animately despite moving slower from being so sore._

"James and Sirius had insisted on carrying me everywhere for a week before I had had enough, and my parents were fairly close to coming up to school and taking me home after receiving McGonagall's letter about what had happened," you said as you shook your head, "Mum wouldn't let me near a broom almost half the summer before Dad managed to calm her down and said that they had to expect these kinds of things and that it was far worse back when they were in school."

"How did Dad take that?" Harry asked, to which you chuckled lightly and said, "He wrote my mum an essay that was almost as tall as him at the time and recited it out loud to her. Remus and Peter had wisely stayed out of it, but Sirius had sent so many pamphlets and safety guides for Quidditch that poor Mum had a stack taller than Dad, although they did serve a good purpose in the winter. That summer was even more interesting when Sirius came by to visit for the first time."

_Whatever you were expecting upon hearing James heading upstairs to your room was blown out the window after you quickly finished putting on your shirt and looked at yourself in the mirror only to hear a different but ever familiar voice say, "Looking good there, _____."_

_You turned around to see Sirius leaning against the doorway before quickly grabbing a nearby book and throwing it at him yelling, "What the bloody hell are you doing in here!? My door was closed for a reason, you little twat!"_

_He easily dodged the book before running over to you, lifting you in the air, and twirling you around as he hugged you saying, "I missed you too, love."_

_James rolled his eyes at the two of you as he walked in and sat on your desk chair while you gave in and laughed lightly, returning the ever-charming Black's embrace. Shortly afterward, he sat you back down on your feet and leaned against your desk as you looked between the two and said, "I was wondering why it seemed oddly quiet on your end of the road, James. What have the two of you been plotting over there?"_

_"Honestly _____, you're getting paranoid. Not everything we do is pranks and schemes," James said, his face and tone a little too innocent for your liking._

_Sirius placed his hand over his face dramatically as he said, "Do you have no faith in us? The pain is too unbearable that words cannot adequately describe it."_

_Chuckling lightly, you rolled your eyes and were about to ask on their Animagi progress before seeing your dad walk by and pop his head in saying, "Hey James, think you and Sirius can help me out with some gnomes that have made their way into the garden again?"_

_"But of course, Mr. __(L/N)__. We will return, fair lady," Sirius said with a salute towards your dad and a bow to you before James could complain or refuse, taking him by the arm and dragging him out to follow after your dad. He knew that he had to make an excellent impression on your parents if he was ever going to be allowed over to your house again, and while he may be great with your father so far, it was your mother that he had to worry about, especially considering how long it took for James to convince her to unbanish him from the house because of the results of one of his more explosive projects a few years ago._

_So you looked around your room for a few minutes before sighing and getting up to join the boys._

"Those poor gnomes must have had concussions by the time we were done with them," you said, remembering the various methods they came up with on such short notice. Your dad had joined in on the mischief, and by the time the four of you were done, all of you were covered from head to toe in dirt. Your mum had hosed you down before them, shaking her head as she quickly dried you off as well. Shortly afterward, Sirius helped your mum and you make lunch as your dad and James watched, attempting to sneak bits of food only for their hands to be smacked away, most of the time by the young Black. 

(D/N) shook her head at you as her thoughts turned to her grandparents before saying, "I really miss them. Dad, too."

You smiled sadly while taking her hand once again and saying, "They would be so proud of you. Especially your father."

Harry's eyes glazed over as he turned to look out the window, something that caught your attention as you said, "Third year was relatively dull in comparison. The most I remember from that year is threatening to hex James and Sirius if they didn't stop torturing poor Severus multiple times. Although our first trip to Hogsmeade was something else, I'll give it that much."


	6. Chapter 6

_"Keep up, you two! Zonko's is just ahead!" James practically screeched out as Sirius and Peter managed to remain by his side. You and Remus merely shook your heads at them as the two of you made your way through the crowded street and you said, "I told Lily that I'd meet her and Severus at the Three Broomsticks later. Hopefully, we won't be spending all of our time in the joke shop."_

_"I'm sure we'll head to Honeydukes, too. There's also a book shop that we had passed that I know we'll be interested in if they start taking too long."_

_"How do we put up with them again?"_

_"They're our friends, _____. If we didn't, who would?"_

_You rolled your eyes upon reaching the shop and went inside. James and Sirius were studying everything the owner had to offer while Peter followed behind them. You could practically see the gears turning in those boys' heads as the ideas came. Unfortunately, Sirius saw you and Remus standing off in a corner as the two of you waited for them to be done, bounded over, took your hand, and dragged you over to the merchandise saying, "I think we need some advice, _____. Which of these would serve the best in canceling Potions for a few weeks?"_

_You smacked him upside the head and said, "We agreed on no destruction of property! Do you want to get expelled!?"_

_James rolled his eyes and said, "Come on, ______. Live a little."_

_"Whatever. I've got far too much to do and not enough time."_

_Sirius gave you a smirk after they made their purchases and led you outside, took your hands in his, and began leading you down the street, the two of you dancing and looking like fools. You laughed despite trying to remain unamused. James ran after the two of you, stealing you away and easily lifting you over his shoulder, making you let out a shriek and hit his back saying, "Let go of me, you little git!"_

_"Never!" was his response, to which Sirius ran after the two of you saying, "I'll save you, _____!"_

_You laughed lightly as your best friend put you down and the two of you waited for the rest to catch up before heading into Honeydukes._

_After around an hour, you bid the boys goodbye and went off to meet up with Severus and Lily, carrying your purchases with you to the Three Broomsticks while they headed back to Zonko's to see if there was anything that they missed._

_As you made your way inside, you spotted Lily waving you over. Smiling lightly, you made your way through the crowd and over to her and Severus, asking, "What have I missed?"_

_Lily handed you the butterbeer she ordered for you and said, "Nothing much. Severus and I were simply discussing Herbology."_

_You rolled your eyes before feeling someone's gaze on you. Turning around and seeing a fourth-year Ravenclaw boy looking at you, your eyes narrowed as you said, "Hey Sev, what was that one hex you were telling me about last week to keep the unwanted company away?"_

_He looked where you were before seeing the Ravenclaw and telling you the spell. Before you could pull your wand out, Lily grabbed your arm and said, "Ignore him, _____."_

_You rolled your eyes and said, "I'd only use it if he came near us."_

_"He's an insolent and proud fool. I say you do it anyway."_

_"Severus! That is not nice!"_

_"Did I ever say I was?"_

_"Look at (L/N) and Evans hanging out with Snape," you heard a few older students at the table across from you say._

_"How much do you wanna bet he pays them to be his friends?"_

_"Probably pity over anything else. He couldn't afford to pay them."_

_"He's got his dark arts gang. Probably trying to get them to become a part of it, too."_

_Your grip on your goblet tightened, and Lily placed a hand on your shoulder saying, "Ignore them. We don't want to make a scene."_

_Your body tensed even more before one of your Quidditch teammates placed his hand on your other shoulder and asked, "You alright there, _____? You look a little ill."_

_"I'm fine, Rob. Just need some air," you said while standing and heading out, "accidentally" bumping into the older students that had been making their snide remarks. Once you were outside, you took a few deep breaths before hearing someone else come out and join you. Seeing the familiar head of black hair, you gave a small smile and said, "You don't have to come out here with me, Sev. I just needed to cool myself down. Nothing out of the ordinary."_

_"Why do you care that they talk about us like that?" he abruptly blurted out, effectively silencing you for a few minutes. Your gaze rested on the various students making their way through the street as you thought about your reasoning for being so upset. Once you finally had, your (e/c) orbs found their way to his own as you said, "I don't see why they have to comment on things that aren't any of their business. So what if Lily and I are your friends? If they don't like it, they should keep their opinions to themselves. And they keep talking so badly about you simply because you're a Slytherin, Sev. I can't stand it. You're my friend, and you're a great person, and I want people to know that part of you, but they're so ignorant and stubborn that they won't even try to see how daft they're being."_

_You would have gone on even more, but Severus had brought his hand over your mouth, scowling slightly as he said, "Listen closely, _____. I don't care about anybody else nearly as much as I care about you and Lily. And riling yourself up over their remarks is just hurting you more than anything. Do you need another detention on your own because of something so immature? Doesn't Potter get you into enough trouble?"_

_You were about to respond when a loud bang sounded off within the building. Turning to see that James and Sirius were setting off their newest gadgets, you turned, grabbed Severus' hand, and ran towards your table. Quickly convincing him and Lily to grab their stuff and run out, you did the same, leading the way as various fireworks set off inside of the Three Broomsticks, causing chaos to ensue. The three of you were out of breath by the time you reached the castle once again, leaning against the wall of the entrance hall and gasping for breath._

_Once enough oxygen had made its way back into your brain, you looked off into the distance before turning back with one of the largest grins on your face and said, "Good thing we got out of there when we did. Look."_

_Both slowly stood up and walked over, their gazes directed to where you were pointing. All four boys were rubbing their backsides and wincing with every step they took, and you could hear Peter sobbing even from this distance. Chuckling lightly, you turned and went inside saying, "You'd think that they would have realized that the teachers had warned the townsfolk about them before they even set foot into Hogsmeade."_

"James complained about his bum hurting for weeks after it happened," you chuckled once again as you looked over to Harry, "You would have thought that someone had beaten him to a pulp, taken all of his sweets, and left him to fend for himself in the Forbidden Forest without his wand."

Try as he might, the young Potter could not keep the smile from growing on his face as he said, "I could see Ron doing something similar."

"I said the same thing when I first heard that one," (D/N) said as she giggled lightly. Looking at the clock and seeing that it was after 2:00, you sighed and said, "Molly is not going to be happy with us. I think it's time to turn in for the night."

Your daughter looked at the time, rolled her eyes, and began to stand up, taking all three mugs over to the sink. Harry shook his head after failing to stifle a yawn and stood with you, pushing in the chairs on his side as you did yours. Before long, the three of you headed upstairs to get a couple of hours of sleep, lest Molly catches the three of you pulling an all-nighter for talking about the past.

You walked over to the couch that took you a good three hours of convincing Molly that it was fine and that she and Arthur were going to sleep in their bed if you had to pull a Body Bind on them to keep them still. Looking over to the doorway, you saw Harry's mind whirling over all the information that he had been given and placed a hand on his shoulder. Being taller than you, he looked down, to which you smiled softly and said, "My door's open whenever you want to continue listening to my tale, Harry. Just come around whenever you're ready."

He wrapped his arms around you and kissed your head as he said, "Thank you, _____."

Chuckling lightly, you returned the embrace and said, "It's the least I can do. I am your godmother, after all."


	7. Chapter 7

It took a few months before Harry took you up on your offer, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him on the other side of your door. After hugging him, you let him inside and said, "I swear, you keep getting taller every time I see you."

"Are you sure you're not shrinking?"

"Like I haven't heard that one before. How's work been?"

"I'm never bored."

"Of course you're never bored. You're an Auror, Harry."

He laughed lightly while sitting down across the table from you and saying, "Sirius wasn't lying when he said you had a comeback for everything."

"Well, what do you expect? I had to come up with excuses all the time to convince those boys to not do the schemes that were sure to get them expelled."

Harry sat back, his hands on his mug of tea as he shook his head in amusement. You could see the gears turning in his head as you smiled softly and asked, "So when did we leave off last time?"

He chuckled once again as he nodded in thanks, to which you clapped your hands together and said, "Oh yes. Our first time at Hogsmeade. That year was also when James and Sirius began discovering some of the secret passages besides the Whomping Willow thanks to Remus. They came up with some of the most ridiculous excuses on the rare times that they were caught, thanks to your dad getting his Invisibility Cloak that summer. That was also the first year all of us stayed at the castle over the holiday."

_"What do you mean you're staying for Christmas!?" James exclaimed as he took you by the shoulders. Before he could start shaking you, you placed your hands over his own and said, "Mum and Dad aren't going to be home this year because of all the people at St. Mungo's, so I figured I'd stay here."_

_"But you can come home with us, _____. There's more than enough room with the Potters," Sirius said while pulling you away from your best friend by wrapping his arms around your waist and lifting you away, "It'll be fun."_

_"The last time I stayed over for a holiday ended in an absolute disaster, and we were 10 at the time," you said while pulling away and crossing your arms, "Being with the two of you together over the holidays, I may as well sign my death certificate now."_

_Remus chuckled lightly before saying, "Don't worry. I'll be staying here during the holidays as well as a few others. It's not like _____'s going to disappear on us while she's here."_

_"But--"_

_"James, if you honestly think I'm going to get into some form of serious trouble while you two are at home, I think you should head to the hospital wing."_

_He dared to pout at you for that one, to which you rolled your eyes and said, "I don't see what the big deal is. Lily's staying over the holidays, too."_

_It was just then that you had realized your mistake and swore under your breath before turning back to James and saying, "You didn't hear that from me," and ran off after Severus as he left the Slytherin table to head off to Herbology, explaining why Lily may very well punch you later._

_He rolled his eyes before saying, "It's your fault for letting it slip. What do you think I can do that would be of any help?"_

_"Help me make a gift that will make her forget about it. Please, Sev. You know her better than anybody else."_

_"You do know how terrible I am with gifts, don't you?"_

_You were half tempted to pull a James and get down on your knees and beg at this point. Instead of doing that, though, you took both of his hands on your own and said, "With people you believe are below you, yes. But this is Lily we're talking about, Sev. Could we at least try for her?"_

_Despite the pink in his cheeks that you knew had nothing to do with the cold, he retained his ever recognizable drawling tone as he said, "I suppose I could be of assistance. But if this backfires, you're on your own."_

_You smiled, kissed him on the cheek, thanked him, and then went inside the greenhouses, light pink on your face now as you realized what you had done._

"I remember seeing that one. I always wondered why it happened," Harry said, chuckling lightly.

You rolled your eyes and said, "Your dad didn't find out about that until the month before you were born. And he wouldn't let it go, either. Anyway, James and Sirius had decided to stay, and when Peter found out he had signed up, too. And your mum was not happy when she found out from the other girls in our dorm."

_You went straight to bed after dinner that evening, only to feel someone's gaze on your back. Turning, you saw Lily and gave her a sheepish smile asking, "What's wrong, Lily? You're quiet."_

_She crossed her arms while tapping her foot on the floor as she said, "I just heard some interesting news, _____. It seems that Potter and the rest of your gang are staying here at Hogwarts with us for Christmas."_

_"Oh? James was so excited to go home, though. I don't know why he would be staying."_

_"I also heard that you had said that I would be staying at Hogwarts over the holiday as well."_

_You bolted up and ran down the stairs before she could say anything else, only to bump into someone and fall flat on your arse. Looking over to see Lily smirking at you from the entryway to the girls' dormitories, you looked across to see Sirius before both of you looked up to see the sprig of mistletoe right above the hall to the Fat Lady. Your eyes widened before scrambling back up and attempting to run back to your room, only for James to block your way as he said, "Come on, _____. It's a Christmas tradition."_

_Knowing from the look on Lily's face that she wasn't going to help you get out of it either, you sighed while turning back to Sirius, who had a wolf grin on his face as you took the two steps it took to get closer to him, only for the young Black to place his hands on your shoulders and pull you the rest of the way in as his lips rested against yours. Your face was incredibly red at this point, and so when Sirius finally allowed you to pull away, you did so before smacking him upside the head and scurrying back up to your room with what little dignity you had left._

_Lily followed you up and sighed at seeing the curtains drawn around your bed before opening them as she asked, "Are you going to be alright?"_

_"I'm never going to be able to look him in the eye again," you mumbled into your pillow._

_"Oh come on, _____. Every other girl in our year has noticed that he is growing to be quite good looking already, and even so, this is Sirius we're talking about. The boy who has been flirting with you since the day he learned what it was. He only does it to tease you."_

_You looked up at her and sighed before saying, "You think I don't know that? I wish that he'd stop with all the other girls that like him, though. It's only going to make me a prime target for various hexes and curses."_

_"We both know that you're one of the best with a wand, _____. If they're dense enough to try, let them learn their lesson the hard way."_

_You hugged her saying, "This is your fault, to begin with. You didn't have to stay with me, you know."_

_"Oh come on. If I'm not here, you'll somehow get yourself into unwarranted trouble."_

Harry laughed once you had finished, to which you stuck your tongue out at the young man before saying, "I'm surprised that Sirius never told you that one. Merlin knows he got a kick out of it."

"I believe he thought I had enough problems to deal with on my own. Especially fifth year," he said fondly as his thoughts turned towards the two of you bickering at Grimmauld Place with Severus and Remus rolling their eyes at the two of you before you hit the Black upside the head for being a twat. Molly would watch, amusement clear in her eyes as she saw Sirius take what he dished out to you. Before his thoughts could turn too dark, you said, "He was a royal git at times."

Harry simply laughed as he nodded in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

"I have to give your dad credit, though. He only bothered your mum twice throughout the whole holiday. Then again, that could be because he was finding all sorts of hidden paths and rooms with Sirius. That was when we all began making the Marauder's Map, and those dreadful nicknames came to existence, even though none of us had been able to successfully turn into our Animagus forms yet," you said as you headed into the kitchen to begin making dinner. Harry stood and began cutting the vegetables you had placed on the counter and asked, "Who came up with them?"

"Who do you think?" was your comeback, to which he chuckled lightly.

You rolled your eyes before saying, "They were such ridiculous characters, although I think that I had the best out of the lot. Honestly, Moony of all things for Remus. I nearly beat Sirius to a pulp when he suggested it. Padfoot and Prongs, honestly I still think that they had accidentally ingested something during Potions that day. Although Wormtail seemed to fit Peter rather well considering the outcome."

Your hands tightened on the knife before you laid it back down and sat at your table once again saying, "Sorry, Harry. You don't deserve to hear about an old woman that can't forgive a dead man."

He laid his knife next to yours before kneeling in front of you and taking your hands in his saying, "Trust me, _____. I understand. The only way you're going to be able to do it is if you want to, and the time hasn't come yet."

"Since when did you become so wise?" you chuckled out as you placed a hand on his cheek and said, "You've become quite the man, Harry. They'd be so proud of you."

You wiped away the tears forming in his eyes as he said, "I don't know how you keep going at times. I don't know how I do it, either."

"Because then they'd have a reason to beat us to pulps," you said before looking up and seeing the photos along with your cabinets. Spotting the ones you were looking for, you stood and picked them up, smiling softly at the people you loved before handing them over to Harry and saying, "Trust me, Harry. It's worth the wait. You'll have so much more to tell them when the time comes."

He looked at one of his mother, you, (D/N), and him, both of you laughing lightly and hugging your children close to you as the two of you waved at him. Next was his father playing with him before noticing the camera and smiling, James giving a two-fingered salute while the younger Harry grinned. Next was a photo of you, Sirius, Remus, and Severus bickering around the table at Grimmauld Place once again, you close to strangling Black before noticing the camera and waving with a smile on your face. Sirius had his famous smirk and Remus gave a soft smile. Even Severus gave the camera a small smirk, something that made your smile widen a bit every time you looked at the photo. Up next was a more recent one of (D/N), her husband, you, and his parents smiling, tears in your eyes as well as the other future grandparents after finding out the good news. Last but not least was the latest Christmas gathering at the Weasleys, the giant group photo of all of you talking before turning to face the camera and yelling silently, "Happy Christmas!"

You could see your godson smiling softly at them before he handed the photos over to you. You took them and placed them back on the cabinet before saying, "Whenever I feel as if I'm going mad without them, I take out all of my old albums and look at them. I know they're with me even if I can't see them. And I know that they're glad I'm still here to keep an eye on all of you for just a bit longer."

And then a coughing fit came about, making your eyes water slightly as you let it out, feeling Harry's hand on your back. Once you were able to breathe freely again, you patted him on the cheek and said, "You're far too kind for your good."

After the two of you finished making dinner, both of you sat down once again as you turned your thoughts back to your school days and said, "Severus and I had an adventure in getting Lily's present ready that year."

_"How long have you been planning this?" he drawled out his question as the two of you sat in a spare classroom that Professor McGonagall had permitted you to use not only the last few months but the rest of your school career if you wanted it._

_"I've been working on these gifts for about three months now, why?" you asked while placing your hands on your hips. He rolled his eyes as he looked around at the various canvases with paintings dedicated to your various friends, although most of them were covered by white sheets save for the one you were currently working on. The focus was the person in the middle, a smiling Lily resting her head on one of her hands. You smiled at seeing the look of surprise on Severus' face before it turned to fondness. Shortly afterward, he turned his gaze over to you as it hardened once more before he asked, "Why do you need me here? It seems as if you've been doing fine on your own."_

_"You know her better than I do. And if I start asking certain questions, she'll become suspicious."_

_"So did she do the same with mine?"_

_"I know you better than you think, Sev. I just never know girls as well as I do boys. And since Lily's my only real female friend and she instigated staying with me here over the holidays, I want it to be really special."_

_He knew that you were right since you had managed to guess just about all of his likes and dislikes within the first few months of getting to know each other. Sighing, he resigned himself to his fate and sat down on the stool next to you saying, "Alright, what do you need to know?"_

_You smiled while looking over to him and saying, "What does she cherish the most?"_

_After a couple of hours, you finished the painting. Smiling at it, you turned to Severus and said, "Thank you for your help. I couldn't have done it without you, Sev."_

_He rolled his eyes before standing up and helping you clean up. Once you had done so, you muttered a spell, drying the paint immediately. Smiling lightly, you placed another sheet over it and placed them into a nearby trunk along with the rest of your supplies. Quickly locking it, you reduced the size and put it into your school bag before putting away the rest of the supplies and heading out with Severus as he rolled his eyes at you. Chuckling as you left, you quickly turned back and locked the door once again before the two of you headed off to the library to meet up with your red-headed friend, lest she starts wondering where the two of you were._

_As you walked through the corridors in silence, you couldn't keep the silly grin off your face. Severus scoffed at you as he rolled his eyes before asking, "Who else knows about your little hideout? Or your talent?"_

_"Nobody. Not even James, although he's come across the room but has no idea what it's used for," you said, leaving out the fact that you had purposely pointed it out before you began making your Christmas gifts. After looking throughout the entire room and not finding a single interesting tidbit, the boys left it alone, to which you made it your sanctuary._

_Severus rolled his eyes once again, knowing that you weren't telling him the whole truth but letting it go anyway. He knew you had enough on your plate without him starting to patronize you on top of it. So he simply kept walking with you to the library as the two of you ignored the stares and whispers, and he would not admit this until several years later in his grumpy way, but he had thought that the confidence you exuded that day made you look beautiful in his eyes._


	9. Chapter 9

_Christmas morning was pleasantly peaceful considering James had insisted that everyone take their gifts downstairs to "make it seem even more like Christmas at home." So when you and Lily woke up, you slowly gathered your piles of gifts and made your way down grumpily, already missing the warmth of your beds. You had to give James and Sirius credit, though. They, Remus, and Peter were sitting patiently, and surprisingly quietly, for the two of you to come down. They wished you a Happy Christmas as the two of you sat down, to which you returned the greeting. It took a few minutes for everyone to wake up fully, but once all of you had, James gave his classic grin and asked, "Ready?"_

_Before someone could even say anything, Sirius began tearing at the paper viciously. You rolled your eyes as you began with the gift from your parents, sliding the wrapping paper off and opening the box to reveal a whole kit of new art supplies, making you smile as you closed the box before anyone else could see it. Chuckling lightly, you picked up another one of your gifts, reading that it was from Lily, and began unwrapping it while everyone else did the same. Once you had, you gasped at seeing that it was a beautiful charm bracelet. Looking over the charms, you saw a cauldron, a lion head, a Bludger, a book, a joker card, a teddy bear, a small diamond, and a quill. Quickly picking up the note, you chuckled lightly at the meanings behind the charms not only representing some part of yourself but of your friends as well. Quickly hugging her, you thanked your friend before pulling away and putting on the bracelet._

_You received a bunch of your favorite sweets from the Marauders, but that was not all that they bought for you. Remus had given you some more reading material, James had bought you a brand new broom (something that you smacked him silly for before hugging him in thanks as well), Sirius gave you a Beater pin, and Peter gave you a coupon book filled with various things such as "Get out of the boys' mad idea." You hugged all four of them before taking out the small trunk and making it its original size. You quickly opened it and pulled out all of them, including Severus', and handed all of your fellow Gryffindors their gifts. They all stared in awe at what you had created as you stood in the center of the room waiting for them to say something, rubbing your arm nervously._

_It was Remus who spoke up first as he said, "These are amazing, _____. Thank you."_

_Lily and Peter were the next to speak, both thanking you before Lily asked, "How did you manage to find the time to do all of this?"_

_"I've been working on them little by little throughout the term," you said before James snapped out of his stupor and asked, "How could you hide such talent from me for all these years, Claws?"_

_Rolling your eyes at the nickname, you said, "I never tried to, James. I'd come over all the time with paint on my hands and you never noticed."_

_Noticing that one of your friends was still in a stupor, you turned your gaze over to Sirius to see that he was still staring at his painting. You slowly walked over to him and asked, "What's wrong, Sirius?"_

_It was once you knelt in front of him that you saw the tears forming in his eyes. Your orbs widened slightly as you placed your hand over his and murmured his name once again. He looked up at the contact and gave you a small smile as he said, "Nobody's put so much effort into a gift for me like this before. Thank you, _____."_

_It finally clicked for you. Of course, Sirius would act like this considering his family life. You couldn't believe yourself for being so dense. But he didn't mind if the tight hug he gave you was anything to go by. Chuckling lightly, you returned his embrace._

_'Turns out that Lily was right in all my worrying over our friendship being ruined over the mistletoe incident being for naught,' you thought when he squeezed you just a bit tighter. Before long, you pulled away and wiped the tears from his eyes saying, "Hey, don't you start crying, Black. Because then I'll start, and I'll have to hit you."_

_He chuckled before letting you go as James bounded over to the two of you and put his arms around both of you saying, "Come on lovebirds. I'm hungry."_

_Lily rolled her eyes while you and Sirius chuckled lightly, knowing James was just trying to get under your nerves with the comment. Quickly grabbing the painting for Severus, you walked ahead with the redhead while the boys followed after the two of you for breakfast._

_Considering the only other people staying beside the six of you were Severus and a few more Slytherins, two Hufflepuffs, and a Ravenclaw, Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the staff sat with the students at one table, reminding you of the goal you had made back in the first year. Looking over to Severus, you handed him the painting and said, "Happy Christmas, Sev."_

_Knowing that he had to keep his brooding persona around James especially, you took his nod as thanks for now as he looked at it, but you could see the glint in his eyes that he was trying to hide. You and Lily sat on both sides of the Slytherin as the two of you opened the gifts he had given you. You smiled at the scarf of your favorite colors that he had made for you, thanking him as you wrapped it around your neck. Lily did as well, making his nose turn slightly pink as he nodded towards the two of you once again. You had stepped on James' and Sirius' feet when they began to snicker at your friend, sending them a warning look to not do something stupid before all of you began to eat._

_The boys ran off once they were done eating, no doubt attempting to get a head start on making the map today. You didn't mind, seeing as it gave you and Lily the rare opportunity to be with Severus without any interruptions. As the three of you walked along the lake, Lily asked, "Did your mum and dad say anything about why there were so many new patients at St. Mungo's this year?"_

_"Not really. They only said that there was an influx this year and that I should stay at Hogwarts over Christmas, even with James and Sirius writing dozens of letters to try to convince them to let me stay with the Potters. I think it's more than what they're telling me, and they don't want me to know about it," you said as your gaze turned toward the Forbidden Forest._

_Severus scoffed before changing the topic to the Transfiguration homework that was due before the holiday, making you grateful. While you didn't want to think that your parents were hiding things from you, you couldn't help noticing the distance they've put towards you this year, and talking about it just made your suspicions raise. Times were bad enough without you losing faith in your parents, what with all of the dark wizards coming about and following after the twat calling himself Lord Voldemort gaining power as time went on._

_You were brought out of your dark thoughts when Lily wrapped her arm in yours and said, "So I hear that Daniel Jacobs has been asking around about you, _____."_

_Severus rolled his eyes as you scoffed saying, "More like he wants a way into infiltrating and stealing training methods for Quidditch. And full of himself on top of that. He's a complete sod, Lily."_

_"How well do you know him exactly?"_

_"He was my Ancient Runes partner this year, remember?"_

_"And he spent most of the time trying to impress you with his talk of so-called success in Quidditch," Severus scoffed out, to which you smiled lightly as Lily wrapped her other arm with his._

_"Let's not forget his family's history of 'greatness,'" you said while rolling your eyes, "Honestly, if I wasn't on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, I doubt that he'd even look at me."_

_"He is a Ravenclaw. It's all strategy in his mind," Severus said, to which Lily hit him lightly before you said, "It honestly doesn't matter which house he's in. He's still insufferable."_

_She rolled her eyes as she said something about the two of you ending up together by the end of the year, to which you scoffed at before seeing a snowball fly past your head into a nearby tree. The other two noticed it as well, and you began sprinting back to the castle with them in tow as you yelled out, "James Fleamont Potter! You better hope I don't find you!"_

_The three of you were pelted as you ran, but once you reached the castle, you heard the Marauders laughing gleefully, and you couldn't help the small smile on your lips that you had hidden behind your hair as the three of you caught your breath. Hagrid had walked by the three of you and asked what you were doing standing in the entrance hall, chuckling lightly upon hearing your response and saying, "With them around, we'll never be bored."_


	10. Chapter 10

"Those boys ended up Body Binded into their beds that night, thanks to your mum," you said with a small chuckle. Harry looked out of your window, picturing it in his mind as he smiled.

Chuckling lightly, you said, "Nothing much happened the rest of that school year, but summer was quite the turn of events. I had stayed with Lily for a couple of weeks before returning home and spending time with the boys."

_You had to say that you were glad that you were as immersed in the Muggle world as you were the wizarding one once you arrived at Lily's house because you were sure that you would have been like James the very first time he entered your home and saw all the technology your mum had integrated into the house._

_Lily and her family had picked you up from the train station and brought you to their home. Her parents were ecstatic to meet you, while her sister kept her distance, pretending that you and Lily weren't even there. Your friend had told you about Petunia being scared of magic and how it had made the two of them grow apart, so you wisely kept your mouth shut after she recoiled away from your offered hand to shake upon first meeting her._

_Mr. and Mrs. Evans were some of the greatest people in the world. They had asked various questions about how your home life differed from theirs, to which you happily answered, telling of both yours and James' childhoods, since he had a far more traditional wizard's household and upbringing. You had even told them a few of your childhood adventures before you and James started Hogwarts, making them laugh lightly._

_As soon as the tour of the house was over, Lily had grabbed your hand and waved off her family saying, "We'll be meeting up with Severus. See you at dinner!"_

_You quickly thanked them again before you were dragged out of the house and down the street to a nearby park, hearing Lily's parents laughing at the two of you. Once you had arrived, Lily had let go of your arm and sat on a nearby bench saying, "Let me warn you now. He thinks that you're coming next week."_

_You gave a small smirk at her before saying, "You? Lie to Severus? Are you ill?"_

_She laughed lightly as you sat down beside her, turning your gaze over to the park. It had been so long since the last time you had seen one. It looked a little worn down, but there were plenty of people spending the day there. Children playing on the playground, parents talking to one another as they looked after them, a couple having a picnic in a more secluded area of the park, and your favorite Slytherin making his way over to the two of you. Making your way around a nearby tree without him noticing, you waited for the perfect opportunity. As he and Lily started talking, you sneakily made your way behind your friend. Once you were a few inches away from him, you gleefully said, "Fancy meeting you here, Sev. Lily didn't mention that you'd be joining us."_

_He froze, and you saw Lily smile as she said, "Oh dear. I forgot to tell you, Severus. _____'s come by a week early."_

_The young Slytherin slowly turned around and looked at you, his eyes widening slightly as he took in how much you had grown since he last saw you the month prior. You too had noticed that your friend had grown a couple of inches in both hair and height, and now you had to look up somewhat to keep eye contact. Severus still held his rather scrawny stature, but it looked as if the muscle was slowly building up. Before you could think about what else has changed, you held out your arms and said, "Come on, Sev. One hug?"_

_Quickly snapping out of it, he rolled his eyes while turning over to Lily once again and saying, "This was your idea, wasn't it?"_

_The young redhead simply smiled as she stood and looped her arms through one of the two of you, leading the way as you said, "You missed me. There's no shame in admitting it."_

_He rolled his eyes at you once again, making your grin widen as you asked, "So what are we going to do while I'm here? It's not that often that I'm in this kind of setting, after all."_

_Lily began rambling about all of the plans that she and Severus had made, making you chuckle lightly as you listened._

"Your mum had us going to all of the typical places for Muggle children our age to go. That was one of the few times that I think she was never still. It was comical to see her like that," you said while putting a stray piece of hair behind your ear.

Harry chuckled lightly once again, looking at the various photos of that summer from one of the albums you had taken off of your bookshelf. There was one of Lily giggling and Severus smirking at you due to the pastry covering your face from a smaller child accidentally running into you. Then there was one of you hopping onto Severus' back, nearly making the poor boy's legs buckle from the surprise. There was another one of Lily and Sev laying on the ground looking at the clouds. The one after that was you and Lily on the swings of a park near her home and the two hugging you goodbye, laughing lightly as you talked about meeting up in Diagon Alley before school started.

When he came across the photos of you and the rest of the Marauders that summer, you said, "I honestly don't know how James' parents didn't find out about us working on becoming Animagi throughout the holiday. We weren't being nearly as careful as we should have been. Then again, that wasn't all that happened."

_"I still can't believe we have to wait another month until we can try it without getting in trouble with the Ministry," James said while flipping through the notes that you had asked Professor McGonagall for over a year ago, claiming that it was merely idle curiosity. And since you were one of the top students in Transfiguration, as well as one of the more trustworthy ones, she had given them to you. While you did feel bad for lying to her, you knew that Sirius and James would have tried to do something that would land the lot of you in detention. Granted, it wouldn't surprise anyone, but you figured that it was better this way._

_"Patience is a virtue, James," you said while rolling your eyes, even though you had noticed just how much your best friend had grown this year physically, although he was still immature. He was tall and lean, and the baby fat had left his face over the far too dry and hot summer, leaving him to be fairly attractive, not that you would ever tell him. He had enough of an ego as it was. Remus and Sirius had become just as attractive, both having slightly more muscle than James as well as growing their hair out more. Remus kept his hair presentable by pulling it back while Sirius let it flow freely. While Peter had shed some of his baby fat, puberty hadn't given him much to go on._

_You were snapped out of your thoughts by the hotheaded Potter tossing himself around on his bed as he said, "It's not one of my virtues, though."_

_Remus sighed before turning his gaze over to you and asking, "How was your visit with Lily?"_

_Smiling lightly at the fresh memories, you said, "It was nice. I nearly gave Severus a heart attack, though. Lily had made it a surprise for him, and I had only found out when I arrived."_

_James, who had hung onto every word until you said the Slytherin's name, rolled his eyes and said, "You had one job, Claws. All you had to do was make sure Snivellus couldn't come back to school this year, and you ruined it."_

_Scowling over at him, you said, "You don't like him simply for the fact that he's a Slytherin and closer to Lily than you've ever been, James. Honestly, why can't you just leave him alone?"_

_Sirius then said, "You've heard the rumors going around him and the other Slytherins that he hangs around with, _____. They're a bad lot, and we don't want you to get hurt."_

_"So teasing and tormenting Severus is the solution? If anything, you're only making the situation worse," you said as your heated gaze turned onto the young Black, "You should know that more than any of us, Sirius. Your brother's a part of that group you're talking about, for Merlin's sake."_

_He stood up faster than you thought he could at that and said, "You know what my family's like, _____! They treated you like dirt the second they found out you were a half-blood!"_

_Gritting your teeth as you stood as well, you said, "Have you ever thought to consider what his home life is like, then!? Have any of you thought of that before all of your pranks and teasing and tormenting!? His life at home is just as bad if not worse than yours, and you treat him like he's below you simply because he's a bloody Slytherin!"_

_"We were placed in Gryffindor for a reason!"_

_"That doesn't mean we have to be cocky or arrogant twats who stomp on anyone who isn't in our House!"_

_By this time, the two of you were in each other's faces, and both James and Remus stood up, the former pulling you away while the latter kept Sirius in place. You had never seen Sirius so angry before, and while you were fearful, you stood your ground and kept eye contact with him before roughly pulling your arm out of James' grip and grabbing your bag, leaving the room after saying, "You lot make me sick!"_

_You then ran down the stairs and out of the house, anger coursing through your veins._


	11. Chapter 11

"Your father wasn't the only one that could make me madder than a hatter, although I do admit that I had it coming to me. Mentioning Regulus or any of his family was always a low blow for Sirius," you said as you stared out the window, not wanting to see Harry's reaction to what you had told him. While you knew that you were only human, and a naive teenager at the time that you had said those things, it didn't make you feel any less guilty any time that your thoughts returned to that day. The look of utter shock on Peter's face, James gaping like a fish out of water, Remus's eyes revealing the overwhelming sadness he felt, and the pure hurt and anger from Sirius was one of the worst images from your memory.

You had only turned upon feeling a hand on your shoulder, seeing the green eyes of your godson as he looked you in the eye. All of his emotions were plain as day in those eyes, and you found yourself smiling sadly before continuing your tale.

_It took a couple of hours of you walking throughout the forest behind your yard for you to calm down, and a few minutes for the guilt to start eating away at you. But you were a stubborn witch, and you were trying to help your friend have less trouble with your other friends this year. Hell, you didn't think that you had it in you to do something like that, and it scared you._

_Evening had come by faster than you expected, and you found yourself in a familiar part of the forest. Smiling sadly up at the treehouse that your parents had built for you and James, you climbed up the old ladder. Neither of you had been here since you started school, finding the Forbidden Forest to be far more of an adventure, which made the place feel rather dull in comparison. But right now, it was the greatest place in the world for you._

_After shutting the door, you found some old pillows and blankets, making your bed on the floor as you stared at the ceiling, your thoughts once again turned to your argument with Sirius. You were so frustrated with him and James constantly picking on Severus that you hadn't thought about what you were saying until it was too late, and for that, you were regretful. It wouldn't surprise you if Sirius never talked to you again, but damn it, he had no idea what Severus goes through at home. Hell, you hadn't known until he had told you before you left about his father either ignoring his existence or raising his hands to him, and you had seen the few scars on his skin from the worst incidents, and how his mother was unable to stop him but tried to do all that she could to keep Severus safe._

_It was then that you had realized that the tears were once again starting to flow. Rubbing roughly at your eyes, you sat up muttering, "People say that girls are dramatic. Merlin's beard, those boys are worse than any girl I've ever met. What gives them the right to bully somebody simply because that person's different?"_

_"I wish I knew, love," a familiar voice said, to which you turned around to see you mum close the door behind her and walked over to you saying, "But what I do know is that you care about those boys no matter what they say or do, even when those things involve another friend."_

_She held her arms out to you as she sat down, and you clutched onto her as you buried your neck into her shoulder. She stroked your hair as she said, "You're also extremely sensitive and empathetic, which makes it even harder for you. And I know that you want your friends to stop tormenting each other, but there are some things that you can't change no matter how much you wish you could."_

_"T-They treat Sev l-like he's the wor-worst scum on the earth, Mum. He n-never did anything to them b-b-before they started treating hi-im so badly."_

_It was then that you felt tears falling on top of your head as your mum said, "I know, dear. I know. But I am so proud of you for not letting them stop you from being friends with Severus. He's been good for you, and sooner or later, they'll realize it."_

_You knew that was highly unlikely to happen, although you didn't tell her that. So you simply let out your frustration before you and your mum finally began heading back home later on that night._

"I stayed in my room and buried myself in sketching and painting for a few days afterward to try to calm myself down enough to apologize," you said while returning your gaze to the window. Harry followed your gaze, letting silence fall throughout the room as you told him of Remus and Peter showing up at your bedroom door and trying to get you and Sirius to reconcile, something that you weren't ready to do yet. Hell, even James came over the last few times, and he even apologized for starting the whole mess in the first place, although that was more your doing than anything else, which you had pointed out and apologized for. But you and Sirius hadn't even been in the same room for a week, something that was rare since he and you were usually connected at the hip whenever you were all together.

"I knew Sirius wasn't going to apologize, so I finally went over while the others were off trying to find a spot that they could get away with practicing the magic required for Animagus forms. He refused to admit it, but old Padfoot had taken quite the hit from my outburst."

_Here you were in front of the door to the room that Sirius had claimed two summers ago as his, trying to work up the nerve to finally knock on the door. Sighing at yourself for acting so foolish, you finally did so saying, "Sirius? I know that you don't want me anywhere near you right now, and I don't blame you. I crossed a line that I shouldn't have, and I was acting like such an idiot. I don't want to argue or ignore each other anymore."_

_You sighed again, trying to keep your nerve and continue when the doorknob moved and your sly dog of a friend was staring at you. Now that you were face to face, it made it so much harder. But you knew that you had to do it, so you finally said, "I'm sorry, Sirius. I shouldn't have said what I did, but I can't change how I feel about it. So can we agree to disagree?"_

_His usually so emotional face was blank as he wrapped his hand around your wrist and pulled you into his room, shutting and locking the door. Sirius looked you in the eye and asked, "I can understand Evans defending him, but I don't know why you didn't just ignore him after the Sorting first year."_

_You could see a glint of something unfamiliar in his eyes, and, seeing no other option, told him one of your biggest reasons for keeping your friendship with the young Slytherin so strong, saying, "He was one of my first real friends besides James, Sirius. I wasn't going to let Severus go simply because of us being in different Houses. You don't have to like him, and I know that you won't stop doing what you have done to him. All I'm asking is that you give him a break. Please, Sirius. He's had a hard enough life as it is."_

"He never gave me a straight answer after just hugging me for a while, but you already know how well that year had turned out. We'd learned how to become Animagi and had even more explorations in Hogsmeade than any other Hogwarts student. But for Severus, it was a different story altogether. From finding out about Remus being a werewolf to that awful day after we had finished our OWLs, he went through more pain than any other year at Hogwarts," you said before jumping lightly at the sudden flash of lightning and boom of thunder. Cursing under your breath, you quickly shut and locked the windows you had opened earlier before turning back to your godson. He looked to be mulling over what you had said yet again, and so you stared out into the now pouring rain for a few moments before hearing Harry ask, "Dad saved his life that night, didn't he?"

Shaking your head at the memory, you said, "That he did. And I nearly beat Sirius to a pulp for that one, and he took every hit without stopping me, most likely because of just how close of a call it was. When Lily and I hung around Severus, we purposely put as much distance between us and the rest of the Marauders as possible. They didn't bother him for the majority of the year after that incident, and I refused to say one word about him while I was with them. James and Sirius had even been somewhat civil with him on the rare occasions that their paths would cross, which was more progress than the previous four years combined. Lily had noticed the change, but not the reasoning behind it because of Severus swearing to secrecy about Remus being a werewolf. I thought that everything had finally blown over, but then that day happened."

_It was if time had stopped once Severus had called Lily that accursed word. After she ran off, you remained standing there with your eyes wide. Severus, upon realizing his mistake, cursed before turning his gaze to you, scrambling towards you, and saying, "_____, I didn't mean to--"_

_Your wand was pointed at his chest before he could say anything else. He could see the anger and betrayal in your eyes as you said, "Don't take one step closer, Snape. Just stay away. If you don't, I swear that I will hex you into oblivion."_

_"Please, just let me ex--"_

_"Explain what!? That you called your best friend that godforsaken word for simply helping you!? After all that she's done for you!? I don't need an explanation for that! Stay away from me!" you practically screamed out as the tears formed in your eyes as you stalked off, James and the rest of the gang following you, but keeping a safe distance away._


	12. Chapter 12

_You went straight to your dorm, thinking that your red-headed friend was bound to be there by now. Only thing is that when you arrived, she was nowhere to be found. Cursing under your breath, you turned your gaze over to James and said, "Please tell me that that bloody map of yours works."_

_He handed it to you after nodding, to which you muttered out, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," before opening the map and scanning for the name Lily Evans. Finding her name in a long-forgotten classroom, you handed the map to Remus after saying "Mischief managed" and practically ran to the poor girl, leaving the boys far behind you as you yelled out your thanks._

_Once you finally made it to the right room, you opened the door and took in the sight of your dear friend sitting on one of the old desks, tears streaming down her face as she turned to face you. Slowly walking towards her, you said, "I'm so sorry, Lily."_

_"W-what do you have to be so sorry about, _-_____? You're not the one that called me a, a Mudblood," she sobbed out while you brought her into a warm embrace, murmuring reassurances and rubbing her back as she cried, because, frankly, you didn't know what else to do._

"I don't think your mum ever actually forgave the poor sod while she was still alive. But who knows about now? For all we know, they could be having a grand ol' party just waiting for the rest of us to make our way there," you said while warming your hands in front of the fire, "You could always count on your parents to do something unexpected, so it's no surprise that you have a knack for that, too."

Seeing that your attempt at lightening the mood had not been successful, the two of you sat in silence for a few minutes until Harry asked, "How did you find it in you to forgive him?"

You shrugged before saying, "I don't know, but my best guess would have to be the fact that I had worked so hard to keep his friendship for going on five years that I didn't want to throw it all away. I can understand why Lily couldn't, though, even if I could. I wasn't the one he called a Mudblood, after all. And even if he had insulted me based on my blood status, he would have been insulting himself as well. It took until just before we were heading home for the summer."

_You and Lily couldn't even look at him during class, and the teachers already knew about what happened since nothing was ever kept a secret at Hogwarts, but they were only able to move you and Lily away from him. You simply ignored the young Snape whenever he tried to get your attention, and one day, it finally seemed that he had given up trying to salvage your friendship with him._

_Oh, how naive you were._

_You and Lily had moved on with your lives, and with that, for you, James, and Sirius, at least, came an onslaught of Quidditch practice to prepare for the upcoming championship match against Slytherin. It was after a particularly rough practice in a horrendous downpour that you had gone ahead of James and Sirius to dry off and get a good spot at the fire to get some warmth back into your body._ _And so you ran as fast as you could without slipping and falling onto your arse in the rain._

_Upon arriving at the entrance, you collided into someone, landing on your poor bum anyway. Standing as you spewed out a quick apology, you looked up only to see that it was Severus. He quickly grabbed your hand and took you down to a nearby empty classroom, ignoring you as you attempted to shake off his grip on you and let out various insults to try and get him to let go of you._

_It wasn't until you were in the classroom, and Severus had shut and locked the door, that you saw how weak he looked. His eyes had far darker circles than ever before, his hair was an even more scraggly mess, and he was far more slouched than usual. The worst part of all was the sadness and regret in his gaze, though._

_Turning your gaze to the door, you asked, "What the bloody hell do you want?"_

_It sounded weak even to your ears, but you couldn't muster up enough energy to put any bite behind it. You were freezing from being soaked to the bone, exhausted from all of the schoolwork and extra Quidditch practice, and just feeling outright miserable and stretched too thin. You wanted to dry off, sit by the fire for a little while, and then head to bed and sleep in tomorrow because damn it, you had a day off, and you were going to take it._

_Severus already knew that though he had finally been able to talk to you, it was a very bad time. And so he said, "I didn't mean to call Lily that. And I don't expect her to forgive me. But please, _____. I can't lose both of you."_

_You could see how desperate he was, and while you wanted to break down and forgive him then and there, you stood your ground and said, "You don't get it, do you? You don't see that you're not only calling Muggle Borns dirt but half-bloods too? That you're calling yourself something disgusting? I thought you knew better, Sev. I thought that you had a higher moral code than that despicable act displayed. You knew from the get-go that I despise people like that. Lily and I defended you for years, and you pull that kind of shit? How do you expect me to forgive you for that?"_

_"I don't. But for once, I'm hoping that my expectations are wrong."_

_You were taken aback by his admission, and for a while, you simply stood there. Severus had stepped to the side, waiting for you to make your choice. And so as you crossed your arms to try and give yourself some more warmth, you said, "I'll have to think about it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to head to my room."_

_He nodded in understanding as you walked over to the door, unlocked and opened it, and went straight to the Fat Lady, muttering the password and wisely choosing to ignore her complaints as you walked inside. Once you were in the common room, you made your way to the staircase only to hear Remus say, "James and Sirius are already upstairs. Where were you?"_

_Turning to face the young man, you said, "Now really isn't the best time for this, Remus. I'm far too drained to deal with it, so please let me at least put on some dry clothes and get some sleep before you start questioning me of my whereabouts, especially when all four of you have gone who knows where without my knowledge Merlin knows how many times!"_

_And with that, you ran up the stairs and slammed the door to your room shut. Sighing as you made a mental note to apologize tomorrow, you looked up to see Lily staring at you worriedly while the other girls were getting ready for bed. After putting on some dry clothes and grabbing a towel to dry out your hair, you began walking over to her bed and plopped yourself onto her stomach as you said, "I hate my life."_

_Lily simply took the towel that you had let go of and continued drying your hair as she waited for you to tell her what was going on. Once you finally raised your head and recounted your unexpected meeting with Severus, she sighed before getting up, grabbing your arm, and taking you downstairs. After she checked to make sure that nobody was there, she led you to the chairs in front of the fire and said, "He's right in the fact that I won't forgive him, _____. But who am I to stop you from doing so if that's what you want to do?"_

_"But I don't know if I want to forgive him, Lil."_

_"What about your goal of trying to improve the relationship between the Houses?"_

_You let out a bitter laugh at that before saying, "Look how that's been going the last five years. My friends in Gryffindor and the other Houses have to be separated to keep the peace. James and Sirius have bullied Severus since the very first day. The few friends I have in Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff only speak to me when I'm not near any of you. How stupid was I to think that I could change things between the Houses? If anything, I've probably made things worse."_

_Her eyes narrowed as she said, "You haven't made things worse, _____. You were brave enough to try something that hundreds of students throughout the years haven't been able to do. You showed people that Gryffindors and Slytherins who have no past with each other before school can become good friends. You've forgiven James for doing terrible things to you over the years. You've balanced out all of your friendships with school and Quidditch. You've made the school better, _____. You just don't know it yet."_

_Even though you didn't believe her, you gave her a small smile and thanked Lily before the two of you retired to bed for the evening._


	13. Chapter 13

Harry had sent a letter to Ginny the next morning stating that he would be staying with you for a couple of days since he had been practically forced to take a couple of weeks off of work in order to prepare for his baby's arrival. After your owl had taken off, you saw the melancholy in his eyes as you said, "Old Marge seems quite taken with you. You're the only one besides me that never has trouble with her."

"She reminds me of Hedwig," he said as he kept his gaze towards the sky, watching the old bird fly away. Chuckling lightly, you finished the dishes before making your way to the door as your godson followed after you. As you both took a stroll around the grounds of your childhood home, you said, "I waited until we were on the train back to King's Cross to make my decision. Unfortunately, I couldn't find Severus, and I couldn't risk James or Sirius following after me on the journey. So I was incredibly lucky to find that my parents and Sev's mum had met while waiting for us."

_As soon as you and Severus faced each other for the first time since that day after Quidditch practice, you gave him a soft smile before bringing him into a hug and muttering into his ear, "Come visit sometime, okay Sev?"_

_You could hear the small smile in his voice as he said, "Thank you, _____. I'll try."_

_The two of you separated when your dad said, "I've got an idea. Why don't we all head out to a restaurant? We'd love to get to know you and Severus more, Eileen."_

_Mrs. Snape gave a rather perturbed look at being asked to go anywhere with your family. She began to politely decline, but your parents weren't ones to take no for an answer, and so your mum insisted, muttering that your dad wouldn't give up until she said yes. She hesitantly accepted in the long run, and your parents looked over to you and Severus and asked where the two of you wanted to go. Severus simply turned his gaze over to you, uncomfortable with being the center of attention. You spouted off the first place that you could think of and thanked Merlin as they led the way with Sev's mum between them, all three of them happily chatting. She seemed far more comfortable with them than when you initially met, which made you sigh in relief as you muttered over to your friend, "I'm sorry about them. Working at St. Mungo's for so long has made them a little mad."_

_You were surprised to hear the young Snape chuckling before he said, "I was expecting worse since they had you."_

_You lightly smacked him on the shoulder for that joke, but your grin was all the indication that he needed to know that you weren't insulted. When all of you were seated at the restaurant, all of you got to know one another as both of you talked about the school year, purposely not mentioning the incident after your OWLs. Your parents loved them, something that you made you let out a sigh of relief. Severus, upon noticing this, slid his hand down to yours and gave it a small squeeze, something that made your smile brighten the smallest bit._

_Your mum then asked, "What do you want to do after school, Severus? ______'s been adamant about traveling and painting before she starts working at St. Mungo's herself."_

_You blushed and became far more interested in your dessert as you waited for Severus to answer, to which he said, "I'm not entirely sure yet."_

_She smiled lightly at him and said, "You have plenty of time to figure it out, dear. I didn't know until halfway through the seventh year."_

_"Mostly because your mum and dad kept sending you Merlin knew how many letters asking if you were going to take on a Muggle job or a wizarding one," your dad said with a chuckle to which she rolled her eyes as you smiled lightly._

"Shortly afterward, we had parted ways to head home, and your dad and I spent some time fixing up the old treehouse," you said upon coming across it while on your stroll. As you pointed it out to Harry, you told him about how James had hurt himself so many times doing things the Muggle way that you ended up doing most of the work while he simply came up with ideas and did menial tasks. He chuckled at that as he stared at the sign that read:

**THIS IS THE DESIGNATED HEADQUARTERS FOR THE**   
**MARAUDERS. THE ONLY OUTSIDERS THAT ARE**   
**ALLOWED TO ENTER ARE THOSE WHO ARE INVITED**   
**INSIDE BY ABSOLUTELY NOBODY BUT A MARAUDER**   
**MEMBER. DO NOT ENTER IF YOU ARE NOT A FAN OF**   
**FUN AND/OR MISCHIEF. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**SINCERELY,**   
**MOONY, WORMTAIL, PADFOOT, PRONGS, AND CLAWS**

**P.S. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURY**   
**THAT MAY HAPPEN TO YOU UPON ENTERING THE**   
**FACILITY, BE IT MAGICAL, MENTAL, OR PHYSICAL.**   
**YOU ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

You traced the worn carved lettering fondly as you told Harry, "When Sirius finally moved in with your dad's family, Peter and Remus came to stay for a while as well to celebrate. When James and I showed them this place, old Padfoot thought of this. For the next few years, it served as our hiding spot. We cleaned it out and redecorated the whole thing."

You could see the familiar glint of curiosity that James had in Harry's eyes as he stared at the place, so you said, "Go on. Take a look. I have to warn you, though. Nothing's been touched by humans since the summer after our seventh year."

Harry nodded, but turned to you and asked if you were going to come to look with him. Chuckling lightly, you performed a simple Wingardium Leviosa on yourself and made your way up to the top, grabbing hold of the sturdy ladder and opening the door before climbing up. Looking down to see your godson climbing up the old fashioned way, you opened up the windows to let the light in.

Harry walked over to the mural containing the signatures of the original Marauders with the Animagus forms as well as Remus as a werewolf. Harry stared into the eyes of the lynx before asking about the last time you had used it, to which you said, "It was our last adventure into Hogsmeade before we left Hogwarts as students. Unlike Sirius, I couldn't blend in very well in highly populated areas, be it full of wizards or Muggles, so there wasn't much of a point in me using it to hide. It wouldn't have helped anyway. I had you and (D/N) to look after, not to mention keep James and Sirius from doing something mad against Voldemort. Lily could only do so much to keep your dad out of trouble. It didn't help that all of us were members of the original Order of the Phoenix."

"What happened between you and Snape during that time?"

You smiled sadly as you said, "I'll tell you about that later. It will make more sense then."

You then began to make your way back down as Harry took in the rest of the old place.


	14. Chapter 14

_"Come on, Sirius. Mum wanted us back by sunset to officially celebrate you moving in!" James yelled out as he slid down the ladder of the treehouse once he thought that everyone had finished up for the day. Peter nearly fell out of the tree in his rush to follow after him, and Remus helped the poor Pettigrew up once he landed on the ground. They followed after James, and Sirius was about to join them before he spotted you still painting James' stag form onto the wall. The young Black tilted his head before saying, "I'd say you're being too generous with his head size. Merlin knows it's bigger than that."_

_You flicked your gaze over to him for a second before you began to gather up your supplies and said, "You didn't have to wait for me, you know. You're the reason there's a party going on, to begin with."_

_He smirked before walking over and saying, "Come on Claws. I can't have you sneaking your way into your house while everybody else is having fun."_

_"You know I'm not very good when it comes to parties, Sirius."_

_He took your hand and said, "Come on. You'll be fine. I heard that Prongs managed to convince Evans to come along. Merlin knows how he did it."_

_You shook your head before saying, "Just let me put everything away. I promise I won't run away."_

_He sighed before letting go of your hand, allowing you to finish up before the two of you made your way back to the Potters' together. As you walked down the worn trail, you said, "Are you sure about this, Sirius? They are your family."_

_"Only by blood. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. I'm just a lucky sod that I ended up with all of you as friends. Merlin knows what would have happened to me if I hadn't."_

_You rolled your eyes at his response before saying, "You would have figured something out even if we didn't know you. You're a survivor, Sirius."_

_He gave you one of his rare soft smiles as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and said, "You're something else, _____."_

_He stopped at that and leaned closer to peck you on the lips, chuckling softly at your wide eyes when he pulled away and asked, "Do you think that we could give it a go?"_

_Once you had gotten over your surprise, you nodded as a small smile appeared on your face and you said, "I think that we could."_

_His arm wrapped around your waist this time as the two of you made it to the Potters' backyard to enjoy the party._

"As you can imagine, that summer made your dad fairly jealous since your mum had just begun giving him a chance at being friends, but he was happy for us all the same. Severus hadn't taken it fairly well when he was finally able to visit without James and Sirius around, but that was to be expected," you said upon making it back home.

"Sirius never told me about it."

"We both eventually realized later on in the year that, despite how much we loved each other, it wasn't healthy to keep the relationship as it was. So we settled for being friends. Despite how much we wanted it to work, we both knew that we wanted different things, and both of us were far too stubborn to end it until we did. I never regretted trying, although the breakup was the worst part. And I'm grateful that we didn't let it ruin our friendship, either. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have him the times that I needed him the most."

"Your husband must have been quite jealous, I would imagine."

"At first, yes. But then Sirius was sent to Azkaban, and he didn't see or talk to Padfoot all that much after his escape until the Order of the Phoenix was reinstated. The poor man had a sore jaw for a while though since upon meeting up again, his flirtatious personality came back with a gusto led to him ending up with a damn good punch there. Needless to say that neither of them was in my good books for a few days."

Harry laughed at that, imagining you threatening to knock both of them out and place them in the attic until they could learn to be civil to each other. You rolled your eyes as you said, "Never a boring moment when those two were near each other, I can assure you of that. Now, where was I?"

_"Any idea of what you're going to do after Hogwarts?" Remus asked the group in the train compartment, making the cheery atmosphere turn a little serious. As you looked around your friends while seated on Padfoot's lap, you sighed before saying, "I may as well start. I heading to St. Mungo's as soon as we're done."_

_Sirius smirked as he wrapped his arms around your waist and said, "Course you are. You've got plenty of practice healing the lot of us up so we didn't have to visit Madame Pomfrey with some half-arsed lie."_

_"Do you have any idea what you're going to do?" was your sassy remark, to which he let out a loud laugh before saying, "Play Quidditch, of course."_

_After everyone rolled their eyes in amusement, he said, "On a serious note, I've always wanted to be an Auror."_

_"So that's why you've stuck with Potions? I thought it was because you couldn't go one class without _____ with you," James said, making everyone else laugh before Lily said that she wanted to be involved with the Ministry of Magic. Peter had no idea what he wanted to do, and James was dead set on fighting the good fight after overhearing Dumbledore talking to one of the professors about making something called the Order of the Phoenix. Remus said that he wanted to travel before he made a final decision, to which you said, "I think you would make an amazing teacher."_

_He looked startled at the idea and tried to brush it off, but you continued with, "You've tutored at least half of our year and even some of the older students, Remus. And you enjoy it. I think that Hogwarts would be honored to have you as a professor. Merlin knows you'd be the one with the best bet of returning."_

_"Yeah, I could see you chatting with McGonagall and Dumbledore as you enjoy tea time," Sirius said, to which you whacked him in the arm as everyone else chuckled once again. You spotted a familiar head of black hair pass by your compartment and quickly excused yourself after giving your boyfriend a peck on the lips. As soon as you closed the door to the compartment, you spotted Severus at the end of the train car. Smiling lightly, you walked over and said, "It's nice to see you again, Sev. I know it's been hard over the summer since James and Sirius hardly traveled anywhere."_

_"I see that you and Black are still lovestruck fools."_

_"That we are. But, to be honest, I don't know how long we're going to stay that way. It's Sirius, after all."_

_"Then why are you together in the first place?"_

_"I'd rather try now rather than live the rest of my life regretting that I never did. Come on, Sev. I've already had all these talks with Lily. Can't I just spend some quality time with you before we're back in school?"_

_He looked out the window of the car, to which you realized that some of his Slytherin friends were probably waiting for him to return. So you smiled lightly as you looked at the clock above the doorway before saying, "On second thought, I really should go change into my robes. I'll see you in class though, yeah?"_

_He nodded, seeming hesitant to leave before pecking you on the cheek and muttering, "You deserve better than that dog," and heading back to his compartment. You stood there in surprise for a few moments before heading back to your compartment to grab your robes, telling the others that you forgot to do so earlier._


	15. Chapter 15

_You looked over your time table as you began eating your breakfast the following morning before hearing someone plop down next to you. Smiling lightly, you turned to see Sirius as he gave you a wolf grin before comparing the two and saying, "Merlin's beard, how do you keep up with all of these classes, Claws?"_

_"I purposely schedule a time to do my work and study. You should try it sometime, Sirius."_

_"Don't you want to have any fun this year?"_

_"I've had the same number of classes since the third year, and I have friends just as studious as I am that are more than willing to help. How else do you think you and James have passed your exams and OWLs over the years?"_

_He shook his head before asking if you were going out for Quidditch this year, to which you replied, "With James being captain, I don't think I've got much of a choice in the matter."_

_He laughed as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and kissed your head while everyone else made their way into the Great Hall after they picked up their time tables. Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius and his affectionate nature before saying, "Honestly, Black. I would think that you two would be bound at the hip at this point."_

_"No need to take your jealousy out on me, Evans. James is waiting with open arms if you want a relationship that badly."_

_She scoffed before lightly hitting Remus when he chuckled. Poor James' sprung up hope deflated as soon as it first appeared, to which you shook your head before standing and pecking Sirius on the lips. You then grabbed your bag and said, "I'll see you lot around later. I have to get to Ancient Ruins."_

_"Breakfast just began!" Sirius exclaimed, to which you rolled your eyes and said, "For you, it did. I made my way down earlier."_

_You then turned your attention to Remus and said, "I'll save you a seat, alright?"_

_He nodded in thanks, to which you turned and walked out of the Great Hall. As you made your way to your professor's classroom, you heard someone running after you. Turning, you saw Severus and smiled lightly as you said, "Hello, Sev. Where's the fire?"_

_He rolled his eyes before saying, "Honestly, your humor becomes worse the more time you spend with Black."_

_You playfully shoved him before saying, "I thought you said you were going to try to be less snarky about my relationship."_

_"Sure I did, _____."_

_You shook your head before entering the classroom, the two of you taking a seat towards the back of the room as you waited for everyone else to arrive and class to begin._

"How did Sirius take the fact that you and Snape were still talking to each other?" Harry asked, his gaze set on the various photos on your wall.

Seeing that he was staring at the ones of your last days at Hogwarts the most, you said, "He finally seemed to realize that I wasn't going to stop no matter what happened, and so he wisely kept his mouth shut for once."

You frowned before saying, "But that lasted for a few months. We had just arrived back to Hogwarts after the Christmas holiday when his jealousy broke free from his control."

_As you walked around the grounds with Severus, you huddled closer to him for the warmth granted to you from his body heat. Being out in the cold winter air was worth it if you got to spend time with one of your best friends, though. And since James and Sirius had detention that afternoon, you were going to spend as much time with him as possible._

_Both of you had discussed how your holiday had gone, Sev being as terse as ever, although he did end up wrapping one of his arms around your shoulders while saying, "Your shivering is so irksome. Honestly, we could have gone to the library."_

_You had whined, saying something along the lines of your eyes being too strained to even look at a book at this point. Unlike most of your classmates, you had gone into the wee hours of the night throughout the holiday to keep up with your studies, mostly due to Sirius and James keeping you too busy throughout the day._

_Severus scoffed at your response before leading you back into the castle, not admitting just how worried he was that your lips were slowly turning blue, even with the addition of the jar of magical fire that he had produced before even heading outside. Once the two of you were in the warm confines of the castle, he cast looks around the halls before wrapping his arms around you, biting back the urge to jump away because of how cold you were as he said, "You should have put more layers on."_

_"Y-Yes, I know. You told me s-so. Come o-o-on, Sev. I was excited to-o see you."_

_He rolled his eyes as he muttered out, "Two weeks apart is not long enough to nearly freeze yourself to death."_

_He avoided your slap to his chest, seeing as he was a good few inches (half a foot) taller than you now. You then buried your head into his shoulder after asking, "How are you so warm anyway?"_

_Before he could answer, he turned away from you upon hearing someone thundering towards the two of you before you were pulled away from your friend, hearing a familiar growling voice say, "What in Merlin's beard do you think you're doing, Snivellus?"_

_"It's none of your business, Black. Now, I'd highly advise that you let _____ go before you end up pulling her arm out of its socket."_

_Your gaze fell on Sirius' face as you tried to shake off his grip on you saying, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing pulling me around like a rag doll?"_

_His jealous fueled gaze landed on you as he said, "You think I'm gonna let this git touch you after what he pulled last year?"_

_"The only one being a little git right now is you! Now take your bloody hand off of me, or I swear I will hex you into oblivion."_

_With that, you managed to pull your arm free, although that turned out not to be such a good idea as it had been the only thing keeping Sirius from attacking Severus. Once your arm was no longer in his grip, he was throwing punches and telling Severus to leave you alone, and the Slytherin was fighting back with everything he had. You called out for them to stop before hearing Remus running down the hall as well. Upon seeing him, your wits came about you once again as the two of you exclaimed, "Petrificus Totalis!"_

_Both young men fell to the floor, unable to move as both of you dragged them away from each other. Once the two were a fair distance away, you and Remus lifted the spells. You saw that Severus had a busted lip and a bruised cheek before he stood and ran to the dungeons. You called out for him to wait, but he was long gone before you could say anything else. Upon seeing the sadness in your eyes, Remus told you that he would take Sirius back to the common room, to which you thanked him and chased after your friend, only to realize that he would be in his common room by now. Sighing, you turned back and headed towards your own, depression looming over your head at this latest turn of events._

_Once you made it inside, the only person you saw was Sirius sitting in one of the chairs closest to the fireplace, waiting for you to come back. He turned his gaze to you, his injuries already healed up thanks to Remus, no doubt, and stared at you with a face full of shame. Instead of going up to him and comforting him, though, your cloud of depression turned to an inferno of rage as you seethed out, "Why the bloody hell did you do that?"_

_"Snivellus was too damn close to you," he said haughtily, which he only realized was the wrong way to go about it when you threw your schoolbag to the ground and growled, "That's not a reason, it's a damn excuse."_

_"He was going to try something, _____. You didn't see his face."_

_"He was trying to keep me warm, Sirius! We had just been outside for Merlin knew how many hours and I was freezing!"_

_You didn't care that you may wake up every other Gryffindor. You were too angry to keep your voice at a lower volume._

_Sirius did though because no matter how much he bragged about his life, he kept most of his matters private. And so he kept his response in a deadly growl as he said, "You don't see it, do you? Or are you just not willing to admit it to yourself?"_

_"What the bloody hell are you talking about now?" you bit back just as viciously, tempted to take one of your books out of your bag and chuck it at his head._

_"You may love me, _____, but you're in love with him. And you're going to get hurt because while he does care about you, he will always love Lily."_

_Your eyes widened and your face paled before you started sputtering out your denial, to which he interrupted by saying, "I already lost you before we even started, but I hoped that I could change your mind. But that damn Snape just wouldn't quit."_

_He punched the wall next to the fireplace before saying, "Let's face it. It's partly my fault, too. How did we ever think I could ever settle down? I've always been a lone wolf to some extent."_

_You finally gained some of your wits back as you asked, "So that's it? You're not even going to let us try to figure this out? You're not even going to let me explain why I think how ludicrous the idea is?"_

_"We've been trying since the get-go, and I'm tired of fighting a losing battle. I don't want to be second best, and I can't promise that you'll always be the only one. It's better this way."_

_You couldn't help the tears streaming down your face at this point before you said, "You are a bloody bastard."_

_And with that, you ran up to your dorm and didn't look back._


	16. Chapter 16

_For a good two months, you couldn't look him in the eye. And it didn't take long for the rest of the school, your friends included, to find out why._

_Not only had the two of you pretty much ceased any form of contact with each other other than a terse hello and goodbye but for the first month, Lily had to drag your sorry arse out of bed. James had to bench you during half of your Quidditch practices because you couldn't get yourself to focus. Severus and Remus had to keep you from skipping class on more than one occasion. You didn't go on any Marauders escapades, either._

_It didn't help that it divided up your friends._

_James and Peter took Sirius's side from the get-go, and Lily immediately backed you up. Remus has tried to remain neutral throughout it all, and Severus simply supported you from the sideline as usual._

_You were sick of it._

_And so you figured that you would finally act like the grown woman you were raised to be._

_You walked towards the young Black as he was surrounded by James and Peter after class one day and said, "We need to talk. Alone."_

_He didn't look much better than you. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and lacked his usual grin. Before James could tell you to screw off though, he nodded and you led him to your "studio."_

_Once the door closed, you muttered various silencing charms around the room before turning back to him and saying, "You were right. I am in love with Severus."_

_"Is that all?" he asked, to which you shook your head before saying, "I shouldn't have hurt you the way I did. Hell, I shouldn't have said that I'd give it a go. I am so sorry, Sirius. I know that I'm asking for too much, but I hope that we can try and repair our friendship. I hate what it's done to everyone. I hate what it's still doing to us. I'm willing to do anything that I can. I just need you to give me one last chance."_

_He remained silent, to which you unlocked the door and stepped to the side. The choice was in his hands now. He could either try being friends again or walk right out that door, and you wouldn't stop him._

_But he just stood there for Merlin knows how long, and while you knew that he needed to think about it, it didn't make you any less nervous._

_But then you saw that familiar wolf grin slowly etch onto his face as he said, "Why not? Telling you no now is just delaying the inevitable anyway."_

_He walked over to you and gave you an embrace that you missed far more than you were ever willing to admit as you returned it, your smile brighter than it had been in a long time._

"And you never tried to get back together after that?" Harry asked incredulously, to which you laughed as you shook your head saying, "We both learned our lesson. Just because we loved each other didn't mean that we were meant to be together. We never regretted a day of it, though. Sirius was right in the fact that he wasn't the type to settle down. Hell, we all thought that Peter would get married before he ever moved in with a woman permanently."

He chuckled lightly before asking, "So what happened between you and Snape in that time?"

"He knew about my feelings long before I did, and he was stubborn as a mule in not admitting that he loved me until I finally came to terms with them. If I hadn't told him when I did, I don't think that he would have ever admitted them. Then again, it was unexpected when I had. Before that though, there was one of the strangest Quidditch matches I ever played."

_You walked out of the Quidditch field, James and Sirius lifting you onto their shoulders as they yelled out, "Three cheers for _____ (L/N): The greatest Beater in the world!"_

_You laughed as you "struggled" to get them to put you down, only for you to be carried up to the castle, a blushing mess from being the center of attention for so long. It was just dumb luck that you managed to hit the Chaser that would collide with Slytherin's Seeker before he could catch the Snitch, which gave your Seeker the chance that he fulfilled. You were just as surprised as everyone else when it happened before the stands on your side erupted with cheers. You had flown down to the ground, but not before noticing the single green scarf among the red, blue, and yellow. Granted, he was at the very end before the Slytherin sections began, but you couldn't be happier to know that he came to watch. Before now, Severus hadn't gone to a single Quidditch game that year._

_You were snapped out of your thoughts when lunch came around and you received a pat on the back from James and Sirius, the former saying, "Honestly Claws, I didn't even think that was possible in Quidditch."_

_"Yeah, I thought Madame Hooch was going to call something out and kick you out of the game for a second," Sirius said as he sat next to you._

_"You and me both. I didn't even see the Seeker when I swung the Bludger over. I thought that I was a goner," you said with a small chuckle, "If I hadn't heard all the cheering, I would have thought she had called for me to get out."_

_"Are you sure you're alright, though? I heard that you hurt your arm on that swing after getting hit by that very Bludger," Lily said, carefully poking your arm to see if you were injured._

_"It's just a little sore, Lil. I'll be fine," you said despite trying your damndest not to flinch when she hit the spot. She noticed, but didn't say anything in front of the others, knowing that if your parents got wind of this, they wouldn't let you near James or Sirius, and in turn Remus and Peter, all summer. They checked on you in their letters after nearly every single game since your various injuries second year and only stopped after you had convinced them that you were going to be fine this year._

_What a load of bullshit that was._

_Someone across the room had noticed as well, especially after hearing from those at his table that they had heard your bone crack when your arm was hit, which wasn't surprising since you were on the Slytherin side of the stands at the time._

_You quickly finished your lunch before beginning to head out to your common room, only for you to nearly run over your friend._

_Smiling lightly, you said, "Fancy running into you, Severus."_

_He merely grunted before taking your uninjured arm and leading you to your studio. Once he had, he locked the door and told you to sit down. You did as he was told before hissing when he grabbed right where you had been hit before shaking his head and saying, "You'd think that someone so set on working at St. Mungo's would be able to heal her injuries."_

_"I was going to get to it when I made my way to my room," you whined out before hearing him mutter an unfamiliar spell that made your bones snap back into place, which made you let out a cry at first before feeling your arm and seeing that it was completely healed. Turning your gaze onto him, you asked, "Did you just recite an original spell?"_

_His ears and nose reddened slightly at being caught before Severus said, "Does it matter? Now you're healed up and your parents never have to know."_

_You took his hands into your own as you said, "Sev, that's amazing! Have you created any other spells?"_

_"Not so loud," he hissed out, to which you rolled your eyes before telling him that you'd had silencing charms placed around the door for months now before saying, "Well, have you?"_

_He sighed before mumbling out a small affirmative, to which you giggled lightly as you said, "You are the brightest out of the lot of us, aren't you?"_

_"It took you how many years to realize that?"_

_You felt justified in smacking him upside the head._


	17. Chapter 17

Harry merely stared at you with his jaw dropped onto the table, to which you smiled lightly as you said, "Severus wasn't always on guard around me, believe it or not. Then again, he managed to get me back countless times, so we were always on even ground."

He shook his head as a smile appeared on his face and said, "I just expected that you would have hit Sirius or Dad before anyone else."

"Trust me, both of them had their fair share as well. There are just too many times to tell you," you chuckled out as you said, "So how're Ginny and little James? You haven't said so much as a word about them since you got here."

"They're doing fine," he said, but one look at you raising an eyebrow at him had Harry spilling out what he had been trying to keep a tight lid on, "It's been hell. I knew it was going to be hard, but I wasn't expecting this. It makes me wonder how you raised (D/N) over the years."

You smiled softly as you said, "All parents act like we know what we're doing, but in reality, we're all just trying to figure it out. And the more kids you have, the more ways you have to figure out how to treat each child. Just look at Molly and Arthur. They've had to figure out how to raise seven children, and they all turned out pretty damn great."

He finally seemed to snap out of it before asking, "So when did you tell Snape of your feelings for him?"

You chuckled lightly at his curiosity before continuing your tale.

_Severus rubbed his head where you had smacked it, but a cocky smirk remained set in place as you rolled your eyes and said, "You're lucky I love you."_

_The playful atmosphere Apparated and the young Snape's gaze turned serious as he asked what you meant by that statement. Figuring that now was as good a time as any to come clean, you said, "I'm in love with you, Severus. I've been in love with you for Merlin knows how long."_

_The silence had nothing to do with the charms that you placed on the room as he simply observed you, searching for any sign of this being doubt or a really cruel joke. But all he could find in your face was sureness and honesty. And as he realized this, he became unable to control his actions as he placed his hands on your cheeks and kissed you._

_Your eyes widened to the size of saucers before quickly returning it, your own hands resting on his shoulders. Who knew that the young Snape would be so skilled at this?_

_When he pulled away, he muttered out, "I love you, _____. But--"_

_"--I know that I'm not Lily and you'll always love her. But I'm willing to try, Severus. And I know that somewhere in there you love me too. I'm willing to wait," you said as you took a couple of steps back. You could see his inner turmoil. Hell, you lived that turmoil even when you were in denial of your feelings for the Slytherin._

_And so you wrapped your arms around yourself and said, "I can see how much pain you're in when you see her with James, Severus. I just want you to be happy."_

_He merely nodded before turning and walking out of the room. You took a deep breath in an attempt to keep the welling tears at bay. You knew that you could never go back to what you were like you had with Sirius. You just hoped that you wouldn't lose him. And so once you managed to calm yourself down, you made your way to your common room, waving and thanking those who congratulated you on the match as you passed by everyone before climbing up the stairs and plopping down on your bed. And despite all the noise coming from the party downstairs, you fell asleep nearly instantly._

You walked over to your wedding photo and said, "It didn't take your mum very long to figure out what had happened despite Sirius being the only one who had any idea of what could have occurred. There was a reason she was a part of Slughorn's club of elites, after all."

_You walked out of your Potions class the next day as you waved the boys off to head to the library, Lily following after you. Once the two of you were alone, she stopped and asked, "What happened after you left lunch the day of the Quidditch match? I saw Severus follow after you."_

_Noting that this was the first time she used his first name within a year, you simply shrugged and said, "It's fine, Lily. Nothing to worry about."_

_"_____, please. Something happened between both of you. I may not like that the two of you like each other, but--"_

_It was then that she realized what happened, and she apologized before asking about it. You simply told her that he was hesitant and that you understood why._

_"It's just so damn hard waiting, Lil. I feel like I'm becoming madder than a hatter."_

_"You do love him, don't you?"_

_You nodded as you turned away from her and said, "I do. And I know that you don't think we should be together, but I can see that there is still some goodness left in his heart, even with what happened last year."_

_"I may not be able to ever forgive him for that, but I can see just how much better off he is simply because he still has you, _____. If he can treat you right and return your love, then what does anything in the past have to do with it at this point?"_

_You wrapped your arms around your friend as you whispered your thanks._

"How long did it take for Snape to come around after that?" Harry asked as he looked at the younger versions of you and Severus, you smiling brightly at the camera while he had a small but fond smile with his gaze on you before you turned over to him and pecked him on the lips. Not many people knew that the two of you had gotten married except for your parents, closest friends, Albus, and Voldemort until after Lily and James died. But you had taken (D/N) and hid before he could try to harm the two of you, as you were a known member of the original Order of the Phoenix and he wasn't against torturing and killing people who refused to follow him.

Before you told your godson this, you snapped out of it and turned toward him as you answered his question by saying, "Halfway through that summer. Believe it or not, your mum was visiting when I had received his letter."

_"Honestly, Lil. When are you going to admit that you actually like James?" you said as you watched the Marauders mess around on their brooms save for Peter who was cheering them on and attempting to follow after them._

_She started to sputter out her denial before you said, "You've been staring at him for the last hour and you're redder than a cherry right now."_

_"Like you're one to talk."_

_"I've admitted my feelings, unlike you."_

_She pulled you closer so that she could talk softer as she said, "Alright. He's grown on me the last few years."_

_When she saw your pointed look, she continued by saying, "And he's been nothing but kind and caring towards me."_

_When you lightly elbowed her in the side, she said, "And he's become fairly attractive as well."_

_"And he's got a nice arse."_

_"_____!"_

_"What? You were staring at it for at least half of that hour."_

_"But he's--"_

_"--My best friend, not my brother. For Merlin's sake, just because I can't touch doesn't mean that I can't look too. Sirius has a rather nice bum as well as some great arms. And Remus' back, don't get me started," you said with a smirk, to which she slapped your arm as she said, "Okay! I do have feelings for James. Now can you please stop talking about our friends like that!?"_

_"I only speak the truth. It's not my fault that you're too innocent to handle it."_

_She scowled at you and crossed her arms, but you ignored her in favor of the owl flying towards you. Smiling lightly at seeing that it was the Snape family's owl, you let the bird land on your arm. You thank him and took the letter as you walked towards the small barn and gave the owl a mouse from the supply. As he ate, you opened the letter and began to read, hearing Lily come up behind you to see what Severus had written:_

  
**______,_ **

**_I know that I should have written to you sooner, and I apologize for not doing so. But I didn't know what to do after the way I had left things off at the end of the year. But I believe that I have finally found what it is._ **

**_You are an amazing young woman, to say the least. I honestly do not deserve you, yet you have been nothing but loyal from the start. And so, if it is still what you wish for us to become, I have finally come to realize that I want to be with you more than anything else in the world. Please write back soon._ **

**_Severus_ **

_Your face reddened considerably, but the smile on your face told Lily everything that she needed to know as she turned her gaze out to the boys and said, "Go on and write back. I'll keep them distracted as long as I can."_

_You embraced her before practically sprinting into your house to do so._

"It felt like ages before I received another letter from him. Honestly, I felt so incredibly silly over how I had been acting, and your mum wasted no time at all in teasing me endlessly for it," you giggled as you gazed at the fire.

Harry shook his head in amusement as he said, "I find it hard to believe that such a vicious Quidditch player could act so lovestruck."

You pursed your lips jokingly before saying, "I can still make a damn good wandless hex. Be careful there."

His grin widened as he laughed freely at you, to which you rolled your eyes and said, "Just like your mum. Honestly, she never took them seriously, either."

"Because unlike with Dad and Sirius, you wouldn't go through with it."

"You know me too well, Harry. I'm starting to fear that."

"Why? I'm not you."

You laughed and said, "You're getting too cheeky now."


	18. Chapter 18

"Lily was the only one who had confirmation on our relationship at the time. But that didn't mean that the boys didn't have their suspicions."

_It was about a week after Lily had gone back home and James was kicking yet another gnome out of the garden when he asked, "Be honest with me, _____. Who's your new lover?"_

_You dropped the pile of bricks you were getting ready to place as the planter for the flowers onto your foot and swore loudly before hobbling over to a nearby chair as you took off your shoe and sock and found that your foot was already swelling slightly and slowly turning black and blue. It was only when Remus handed you a bag filled with ice that you remembered your friend's question and said, "Jealous, James? I thought you only had your sights set on one Miss Lily Evans."_

_"Don't you try to get out of this one, _____. I've seen you trying to hide those letters from us. Now come on, who is it?" he pressed on, to which you said, "They're from my cousin over in Germany, James. He's been having a hard time trying to impress this girl that he likes and has been begging me nonstop for help."_

_It wasn't a complete lie. Half of all of those letters were, in fact, from your dear cousin. The poor boy did not know anything when it came to girls, and so you had been trying to assist him by providing your rather extensive knowledge. It also helped in the fact that after writing Severus back the first time, he had said that the two of you needed a way to do so to keep the rest of the Marauders, especially Sirius, from knowing, at least for now. It was just your luck that your cousin had begged you for help when he did._

_"So he writes novels instead of letters?" Padfoot asked, not quite believing you, to which you said, "His mum teaches literature, and he enjoys using his extensive vocabulary to give me a big enough headache to help him."_

_"Are you talking about Adalrik? It's felt like years since I've seen him and his parents. We should plan to visit them over Christmas," your mother said as she carried the now dry laundry inside._

_Remus chuckled lightly at seeing James and Sirius' heads drop as they apologized for not believing you, to which you smiled as you said, "See? Honestly, boys, you need to learn to trust me."_

_You held in your sigh of relief until after your dad healed your foot, silently fuming at the fact that you still had this summer before you could heal yourself outside of school. When you voiced this complaint, Sirius wrapped his arm around you and said, "Come on Claws. By next summer, you'll be training to become an official Healer, and the rest of us will be wondering when the bloody hell we'll see you again."_

_"Yeah, it's our last year of school. I didn't think time would fly by so fast," Peter said as he sat in front of you._

_You chuckled lightly as you made your way back to the bricks to continue constructing the flower planter, lest your parents start to think that the five of you were laying around when there was still work to be done._

"That wasn't the last of their questions, especially when I never let them read so much as one word from all of those letters," you chuckled out while wrapping yourself in a blanket, "Try as you might, there was no tricking the tricksters."

"How long did it take for them to figure out it was Snape?"

"It took them halfway through the school year to finally realize it. It was only two or three weeks before term started by the time my family and I had visited them, Adalrick was practically snogging the poor girl every chance he got, and I had told Severus as such in one of the last letters of that summer."

Harry chuckled once again before saying, "So did anything else happen when you arrived back at Hogwarts?"

You shook your head as you said, "James had managed to convince your mum to finally give him a chance within the first two weeks of school."

_You and Lily were making your way outside to sit by the lake since you had an afternoon free of classes that day and it was still relatively warm outside. The thing is that there were hundreds of flowers that made a path to the Quidditch field. Raising an eyebrow, you turned to the young redhead when she asked, "You don't think that he--?"_

_"If he did, he never told me. Only one way to find out though," you said as you gestured for your friend to take the lead. She sighed before following after the path with you trailing along behind her, only for Lily to stop dead in her tracks. Quickly looking up to see what made her freeze, you chuckled lightly upon seeing all four Marauders dressed up as a quartet and singing one of her favorite songs, to which you shook your head upon finally realizing why James wanted you to play it on your muggle music system for a week straight._

_You shook your head as you stood back and watched as the redhead walked towards them when James pulled out a bouquet of lilies and handed them over to her once the song ended, took her other hand, leaned on one knee, and asked, "Lily Evans, I have been a pain in your arse for nearly seven years because I couldn't figure out how to tell you how I felt about you. But now, I know that I am in love with you and have been for nearly as long as I've known you. Will you please give me a chance?"_

_She started tearing up when she turned to see you nodding for her to give him an answer saying, "Come on, Lil. The poor bloke's waited for almost seven years."_

_She nodded when she turned back to face him, to which you smiled as the rest of the boys cheered. As you walked over to them, you hugged your friends in congratulations before turning to Sirius and Remus and muttering, "This was all planned by you two, I take it."_

_"Consider it their wedding gift," Remus said, making you chuckle as you hugged them as well._


	19. Chapter 19

"James took the teasing we put him through like a champion for those first couple of months," you said as you finished cooking up dinner once again. Harry helped you carry everything over to the table before the two of you sat down and began to eat. After a few minutes of silence, you placed your silverware to the side and said, "Tell me the real reason you chose now of all times to come and hear the rest of the story."

Those green eyes lowered to the food on his plate as Harry muttered, "There's no getting past you."

"With you as my godson and (D/N) as my daughter, I have to be vigilant. But Harry, what's happened at home to make you come here and hardly write anything to your wife or spend time with your son?"

He pushed his food away from him as he said, "It's stupid, _____. I know it is."

"Whatever's making you so fearful that you run from your problems is not stupid, Harry. But I can't help you if you won't tell me why."

He was silent as he stared at the wall for a few minutes before he said, "I'm scared that I'll end up treating him the way Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia treated me."

"Harry James Potter, you do not have an abusive bone in your body. You are one of the most sincere and kind and caring men that I have ever known in my long life, and there are only a few others that I can think of that share those traits," you said as you took his hand in both of your own, "If it weren't for you, my little girl wouldn't be here becoming a mother herself. You are not them, Harry. Hasn't all these years taught you that your blood does not make you who you are?"

You were startled upon seeing the tears falling from his eyes and brought his head onto your shoulder as you rubbed his back and repeated, "You are not them, Harry. You will never be them."

It was when his arms wrapped around you that you knew that he understood, and so you calmed him down before continuing the story.

_You sped past the boys upon realizing that you were going to be late for Care for Magical Creatures since plants and animals tended to go hand in hand within your world. You understood why Remus, Lily, and Peter never wanted to take the class, but you would have figured that James and Sirius would have signed up the first chance they got. That was until you realized that the professors purposely kept the two of them away from magical creatures just so the school didn't end up being destroyed._

_You were brought out of your thoughts upon running right into somebody else. Stumbling back but regaining your balance, you looked to see the face of your favorite Slytherin. Smiling at the sight, you said, "Sorry, Severus."_

_He merely placed your dropped book in your hands and stalked off, making your eyebrow raise at the auction. Shaking your head, you made the rest of the journey to class on time, only to notice the new slip of parchment within your copy of **Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them**. Once you saw that the professor was busy answering the questions of one of your Hufflepuff friends, you quickly took it out and read it._

**_Meet me in the abandoned classroom near the Astronomy Tower at lunch._ **

_Not helping the goofy grin on your face, you quickly slipped the parchment into your school bag and attempted to focus on the rest of today's lesson. Once you were dismissed, you made the necessary farewells with your classmates before making a sprint for Transfiguration, unable to keep your excitement aside._

_The Marauders and Lily noticed this straight away, especially since you were usually outright exhausted upon arriving at the classroom. Lily managed to hide her knowing smirk from the others by covering her mouth with her hand and faking a cough. Remus merely gave you a small smile and Peter gave a goofy grin of his own even though he had no idea why you were so happy. James and Sirius, however, looked at you with a bit of fear in their eyes, as there have been times like this in the past that had not ended well for them. It made them even more fearful when you gave all four of them pecks on the cheek and hugged Lily._

_When you noticed the mix of amusement and terror, your eyebrow raised once again as you asked, "What's up with you lot? Am I not allowed to be happy every once in a while?"_

_"You are, _____. They just don't have the best luck when you are," Remus chuckled out, to which you rolled your eyes as the grin remained on your face. Lily chuckled as she led you over to your shared table once class began._

"Do I want to know what happened in the Astronomy Tower?" Harry asked as he bit his fist to keep his chuckles silent.

"We did not snog, you cheeky devil," you laughed out as you shook your head at your godson, to which he let his laughter flow full force as you rolled your eyes and waited for the poor man to catch his breath, lest he starts choking.

Once he had settled down, you continued with "In fact, we weren't in the Tower for very long before Severus led me elsewhere."

_You had just arrived at the Astronomy Tower when Severus clasped his hand with your own and led you elsewhere. Slightly shocked at the public display of affection, you dumbly followed his lead before asking, "Severus? Is everything alright? You seem tense."_

_He remained silent, but you weren't surprised by that. He led you further into the castle until he came across a classroom that he deemed acceptable and locked the door once the two of you were inside. After muttering various charms to give the two of you privacy, he finally turned his gaze back to you. That was when you noticed just how dark underneath his eyes had become and how his face looked way too thin._

_Before he could say anything, you made him sit down on one of the old desks and said, "Have you been working on your spells throughout the night again?"_

_He merely looked at you as if that was the most obvious answer in the world. You simply rolled your eyes as you brought forth a few more desks with a wave of your wand and then sat down, patting the spot next to you once you had. Severus stood and sat next to you, only to blush slightly as he followed the rest of your directions and laid his head on your lap. Once he had done this, you began stroking his hair and asked, "So what's with all the secrecy anyway? You've hardly told me anything in your letters and brush me off every time I talk to you in the halls."_

_He sighed as he subconsciously burrowed his head further in your lap before he said, "Professor Slughorn has made countless attempts at convincing me to tell him how we've succeeded where so many of his other Potions students have failed. And before you ask, he hasn't talked to you about it because he thinks that he can turn Lily into his little spy."_

_You chuckled as you said, "Do you think that he's imitated by your prowess?"_

_"He's looking for students to join his little club again."_

_Remembering that Lily was one of those members, you sighed out, "I see. And because he's your Head of House, you've had hardly an opportunity to work on your spells during the day."_

_He hummed his annoyance at that, to which you chuckled before asking, "Not that I'm complaining, but since you finally have some time, I would have thought that you would be working on them now instead of here with boring old me."_

_Severus sat up so suddenly that you jumped and nearly fell off the desk. Luckily, he's come to expect this over the years and managed to catch you in time. You saw the look on his face that told you just how much he was bothered by that comment about yourself that he would never put into words. Shaking your head, you smiled as you leaned against his shoulder and asked, "So how much longer are we going to be keeping our little secret? Those letters convinced James, Sirius, and Peter, but I have a feeling that Remus knows more than he's let on."_

_He scoffed at you mentioning your friends, to which you rolled your eyes as you turned your gaze towards him and said, "I mean it, Severus. Sooner or later, they're going to figure it out. And they'll be even less supportive if we don't just tell them. It's already going to be on thin ice as is."_

_"Not if Potter and Black accidentally get hit in the head by Bludgers during Quidditch practice. They'll be lucky to remember anything."_

_You swatted him in the arm at that before standing up off of the desk, only to be stopped by a familiar hand on your shoulder as he asked, "Why do they need to know?"_

_"They're family in everything but blood," you responded as you moved closer to the young Snape._

_He seemed hesitant at first, but then he leaned down, pecked you on the cheek, and muttered, "Not yet. But we will tell them soon."_

_Knowing that you weren't going to get much else on the subject, you sighed and said, "Okay. For now, we wait."_

_Severus gave you one of his rare smiles before embracing you once again, to which you buried your head into his shoulder and returned the hug._

"So that's why it took so long into the term for them to find out?" Harry asked, to which you sighed and responded, "And how they found out was not a very good situation. You see, Severus had asked me to help him with mastering his Legilimency and Occlumency. At the time, I didn't realize just how much helping him would make me learn of it as well. As luck would have it, the day that the boys found out turned out to be one of the more taxing days in these practice sessions."

_You were just so exhausted and emotionally drained by the time that the session had ended that you just started crying and couldn't find a way to stop it. Severus had frozen in shock at seeing you in such a state for a second before he tentatively offered you his hand. You ignored him in favor of curling yourself into a ball, and that just so happened to be the day that the Marauders used the map to find you. The door slamming against the wall was the only indication that you'd had, and when you looked up, Sirius had your poor boyfriend pinned to the wall and demanding to know what Severus had done to you as James aimed his wand towards the poor Snape and Remus and Peter lifted you from the ground and tried to take you to the hospital wing. Their grips were loose enough that you broke from them easily as you ran to the young Potter and Black and screamed out, "Don't hurt him! He knew that I was having a rough day and found me just before you did! Sirius, let go of him!"_

_"He was about to do something to you, _____! He had his wand pointed towards you and everything," the young Black growled out, to which you screamed out, "He wasn't going to hurt me! Please, Sirius, put him down and I can explain everything."_

_Severus remained silent, knowing that anything he said was not going to mean anything to these two particular Marauders and would possibly result in an entirely worse situation than the one all of you were in now. But the look of fear that he couldn't quite hide from them made Sirius scoff as he let the Slytherin down. You slowly lowered James' wand arm before you said, "Severus and I have been together since the end of term last year. Before either of you have a go at me about this, please just let me finish."_

_They both gritted their teeth, to which you continued with, "Thank you. Now, despite what you think, Severus has been nothing but good to me. He cares about me just as much as all of you do. And he knew that I was having a rough day, so he spent the past hour searching throughout the majority of the castle looking for me. He had only made his way here a few minutes before all of you. I know that you will never get along, but please, give him a chance on this."_

_"_____--"_

_"Sirius, please. He makes me happy. As happy as Lily makes James. I just want to stop having to hide it from all of you. I want you to be happy for me."_

_As you walked towards him, James and Sirius could not deny the adoration for you within the Slytherin's eyes as you helped him up. Here you were, honestly, and truly defending your relationship for him as you never had before in front of your closest friends, one of them being your ex. He wrapped his arms around you loosely once he was on his feet. Both of your friends' anger turned to understanding and a sense of melancholy made its way about the room._

_James sighed and walked up to Severus, sticking out his hand and saying, "Okay. This doesn't mean anything different. I'm only trying for Claws here, Snape. But the second you're the reason that she's crying, you are a dead man walking."_

_Severus took one glance at you before shaking your childhood friend's hand. Remus and Peter followed suit. You turned to look at Sirius as he stewed in silence at what he thought to be his worst nightmare. But one look at your watery eyes and Sirius knew that he was done for, so he manned up and offered his hand and said, "You listen to me loud and clear, Snape. You take care of her, you make her smile, and you never make her cry. If I ever hear so much as a complaint of you not spending enough time with her, you better run."_

_Severus looked him in the eye and said, "Understood."_

_You embraced your boyfriend once again and mouthed over to your friends, "Thank you." Remus smiled as he elbowed James and Sirius, who grudgingly smiled as well while Peter jumped for joy. Even though they could not stand him, they could see just how good Severus Snape was being to you, and so those boys were going to act like men and try to be civil. And frankly, that's all that you could ever ask for._

"As you know, James and Sirius had to be reminded Merlin knew how many times to behave themselves throughout the rest of the year. And none of them ever found out about our lessons until the Order of the Phoenix was reformed," you chuckled out, "But they did try with every fiber of their beings, those two. "


	20. Chapter 20

"Those last few months at Hogwarts were relatively tame compared to the rest of them," you sighed out before continuing, "It wasn't until the end of the year that the reality of the danger Voldemort was came to existence. Lily and James were the first ones to sign up for the Order, and the rest of us Marauders followed right after them, well, as soon as Albus summoned us to his office. That was when I learned of how well James would have fit into Slytherin."

Harry just gave you a dumbfounded look as he finally said, "...What?"

_You walked towards the statue and said, "Licorice Wand."_

_The staircase came to be as you waited to come to the door just as the headmaster's letter had instructed. Upon reaching it, you knocked, only to not receive a response. Suddenly worried for your headmaster, you opened the door to find that Professor Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen. As you made your way throughout the room, you were startled by a familiar voice saying, "Miss (L/N), do tell me what progress you have made in stopping the House rivalry."_

_"Not as successful as I had wished, but more so than I thought I would get," was your response as you stepped closer to it._

_The Sorting Hat chuckled at your response before it said, "You knew when you had told me of this goal of yours that it would take far longer than your seven years at Hogwarts to accomplish. Tell me, do you regret being a Gryffindor?"_

_"No, but there are days that I wonder where I would be if I was placed in another House. I also wonder the same for my friends."_

_"Especially that of one James Fleamont Potter," it said, to which you nodded as you asked, "Where would you have placed James had he not wanted to be a Gryffindor?"_

_"Slytherin, of course. Surely you have seen over the years that his personality has shown promise in both Houses. He would have been a fine Hufflepuff as well if his loyalty had stood alone among the rest of his character. But we both know that he would not have survived Ravenclaw. The boy may be smart, but he does not take kindly to being studious."_

_You chuckled as you nodded your head in agreement. If James had been placed in Ravenclaw, he would have surely ended up expelled by the first year._

_"Why ask about your friend rather than yourself, Miss (L/N)?"_

_"Because I know that I could have fit into any House. Most of my friends, on the other hand, do not have that flexibility. While Remus or Lily could have been in Ravenclaw, they would not have an outlet that they have within Gryffindor to relax. And Sirius could have been a Slytherin, but I fear what would have happened to him had he been placed there. And Peter would have done well in Hufflepuff, but there is no doubt in my mind that he would have been bullied. And Severus--"_

_"--Would have made a fine Ravenclaw or Gryffindor as well, if not for his own cunning. But you already know this. What I am asking is this, Miss (L/N): Do you want to know what House I would have picked had you not told me your goal?"_

_You stared at him for a few moments before you said, "Only if you wish to tell me."_

_"Very well, Miss (L/N). You would have been placed in Slytherin."_

_"I thought as much. Thank you for confirming my suspicions."_

_"You are an intriguing witch. Hopefully, we shall meet again."_

_You heard a nearby door close and turned your gaze to Professor Dumbledore as he walked over to his desk and said, "It seems that you finally have the answers you had subconsciously sought for so long, _____."_

_"It would seem so, Professor."_

_"Please, take a seat."_

_You made your way to his desk as you said, "I'm not in trouble, am I?"_

_"Of course not, _____. As you may have heard from your parents, Lord Voldemort is increasing his forces and power as we speak."_

_You nodded. Your parents had told you as such from the last holiday. They were going to go into hiding as soon as you finished school. What with your mother being a Muggle-Born, your family was a prime target for Voldemort's forces._

_"It has come to my attention that Lily and James are planning on joining a group that we have been attempting to establish the last few years. I believe that you have heard James mention the name the Order of the Phoenix, yes?"_

_You nodded once again, to which Dumbledore gave a small smile as he said, "If you wish, I would be honored for you to join the Order and fight against Voldemort."_

_Your eyes widened. Here was your Headmaster asking you if you would be willing to fight against a corrupted and evil man. You sat there as you thought about just how careful your parents had been in the last few years. Your mother had even stopped working at St. Mungo's to keep the family safe. She had to give up her dream because of the fear that Voldemort had instilled into her heart. Sure, there was the risk of dying, but you had the risk of dying no matter what you did. And you would rather go down fighting than scared and helpless._

_Your eyes narrowed as you looked up to face Dumbledore as you said, "I want to join. I want to fight."_

_Dumbledore's smile turned sad as he nodded and said, "I just wish that I didn't have to ask you. Very well, _____. If you're sure--"_

_"I'm positive, Professor. My mother should not have to quit her job just because of one man."_

_The two of you then talked about your upcoming internship with Madam Pomfrey and then Dumbledore dismissed you. You headed towards the exit before you heard Dumbledore say, "It would be wise to keep this meeting to yourself, _____. Be it friend or foe, there are certain pieces of knowledge that some people should never have."_

_"Of course, Professor Dumbledore. Good night."_

_"Good night to you as well."_

"I didn't tell Severus for the sake of keeping him safe, because I was naive enough to believe that his fellow Slytherins hadn't taken him down the path of Dark Magic and right into Voldemort's hands. We were the perfect inside job for each other, and we didn't even know it."

You turned your gaze over to Harry when he asked, "And neither of you used Legilimency on the other when you both suddenly became secretive?"

"We swore to each other to never use it on the other outside of practice. By the time things began to become suspicious, I had become an intern under Poppy to become a Healer for the next year, and Albus kept me updated on the Order every night that I visited him in his office."

"I was only home for about two weeks before I had to begin my extended training to become a Healer over the summer, and so I had moved from my parents' home to a flat in London. You'd have thought that I'd died with all the crying that James and Sirius did as they helped me pack everything up. Poor Lily had to keep them from dragging me back home the moment that I finally moved in. And Severus stayed with me that first week since he'd already moved into his flat the previous Christmas, what with his father getting worse as the years progressed."

Harry remembered the bits of memories of you and Severus walking around London together and enjoying each other's company before you said your goodbyes as you made your way back to Hogwarts. The bittersweetness that Severus felt at that moment was palpable to the young man even now. Severus had been relieved that you would be as safe from Voldemort as possible, but he did not doubt that he would miss you like crazy. Maybe that was why he proposed to you just before you left.

"I see that mind of yours whirling away, Harry. Am I right in thinking that you already know what happened next?"

"You were engaged just before you left and wrote regularly despite how busy the two of you became. And then you were married over the Christmas holiday," Harry mused aloud as his thoughts turned to those incredibly emotional memories that came from Severus Snape of all people.

"I still find it hard to believe that everything had happened so quickly. My parents were overjoyed though. I don't think I had ever seen my mother so incredibly happy as she was on that day."

"Were only your parents there?"

"Severus's mother was there as well, but I told the rest of the Marauders from when we were engaged that I was going to marry him, and I thought that it was best to be as small as possible. None of them tried to convince me otherwise, as they could see that it would just be a losing battle. But the fact that they even sent their best wishes was enough for me," you chuckled out, remembering what had transpired after you were married, "James and Lily still invited me to their wedding regardless, so they weren't going to just take me out of their lives. I was Lily's maid of honor, after all."

"Was it anything like Bill and Fleur's wedding?"

"It was even more extravagant. It was just like James to have his wedding be the most talked about event of the year. Merlin, I remember him going mad with the wedding planner they had when she didn't ask for either of their opinions on anything when they started. He fired her on the spot before he wrote to me asking if I would help them. Of course, I accepted. So they would send me parcels filled with all kinds of ideas and color schemes and every other bloody sample that they could get their hands on. My poor owl wouldn't so much as look at me unless I gave her half of my breakfast every time she had to deliver one of them."

Your beloved friend then flew onto your shoulder, to which you chuckled as you said, "Yes Marge, I'm talking about you. Nothing but good things, I promise."

She flapped her wings a couple of times to say that she didn't believe you before she made her way back to her perch. You shook your head as Harry chuckled and said, "Never a boring moment with her around."

"You should see her when (D/N) comes for a visit. Won't leave the girl's side."

"I can tell that she's rather protective."

"She wasn't like this until after that final battle. I like to think that Severus made her promise to keep a closer eye on us if he died. Or maybe she took on the role after realizing that he wasn't going to come home. I'll never know for sure, but I am an incredibly lucky woman to have her stand by me all these years."


	21. Chapter 21

You rose from your chair as you said, "For the next couple of years, we all saw each other during Order meetings as well as the occasional social visit. Quite frankly, after your parents' wedding, the rest is quite the blur, but despite all of the fear and anxiety, I remember the laughter and joy that we all shared in those days despite Voldemort looming over us. But then that night came along, and everything we knew was no more."

_You raced out of St. Mungo's upon hearing the news. While everyone else celebrated the end of He Who Must Not Be Named, your heart constricted in grief over the loss of your beloved friends and ached to find out if your godson was truly alive and safe. Alas, your abrupt journey was cut short when you saw one Albus Dumbledore standing in front of you just as you left the hospital. His eyes alone told you everything that you needed to know, and so you attempted to wipe your tears away as you said, "Petunia is going to make his life miserable, Albus. He can't live with them."_

_"I'm afraid that for Lily's charm to continue working, it's the only option we have left. I'm sorry, _____, but this is for the best."_

_Your knees buckled as you fell to the ground sobbing. You had found out from Albus about your husband being a Death Eater a year ago and had raised your daughter on your own to the best of your ability. You swore to Lily and James that you would protect her and Harry at all costs, and now you couldn't even do that._

_You felt a familiar grip on your arm and shook yourself loose of it. As you backed away, you saw one Severus Snape staring at you for the first time in a year, and you shook your head at your husband as you seethed out, "Don't touch me."_

_You saw his head hang the smallest bit in shame. You had found out before Albus had come to him and offered him the chance to turn his position to the Death Eaters into a good thing and hadn't contacted him since._

_The elder man looked between the two of you before saying, "_____, please. Let us explain."_

_It took everything in you not to turn your anger onto your former headmaster, but you managed it nonetheless, giving him the smallest nod as you ignored your husband completely._

"It took us two years before I was able to look him in the eye again," you sighed as you filtered through those memories, "But poor Sirius received the short end of the stick. Albus had managed to somehow convince me to come to his trial."

_You looked your old friend in the eye and attempted to see if there was any way that you would be able to see what happened. Sirius had built up his repertoire at Occlumency though because there was no way that you were going to be able to get the information you wanted without him noticing. The old dog took one look at you and Remus, whose hand you were most likely breaking from your grip. Whether it was anger, grief, or a mix of both, you didn't know at the moment. All you knew was that three of your dearest friends were dead and that the man you thought you could trust with their safety was the cause. Sirius Black was a traitor, and no matter how much you wished you could see evidence to the contrary, it was not there._

_The trial seemed to go on forever, but he was sentenced to Azkaban nonetheless. You were shocked beyond belief when the old dog put one last daring and stupid action into motion when he rushed over and kissed you. Remus pulled you back and hold your arms in an iron grip to keep you from hexing your former friend. Before you could even think to do anything, Sirius was being pulled by the dementors that had arrived as he screamed out, "You know me, _____! I'm innocent! I swear it!"_

_You shook off Remus' slackened grip once he was out of the room. Hell, you were shocked that Sirius had figured out that you had any skill in Legilimency. But what shocked you the most was what he had shown you. It was that day in Hogsmeade third year. After you had gone off to find Lily and Severus, the young Black had the silliest grin on his face, which made James roll his eyes as he smacked him on the back and said, "Sirius is in love. What are we going to do with you now, mate?"_

_Remus just chuckled while Peter turned red in the face. Sirius just grinned as he watched you enter The Three Broomsticks before he said, "You know, James, I hear Evans has a crush on a Hufflepuff in our year."_

_"Who?"_

_The other three just sniggered at the poor Potter._

_Remus took hold of your hand and led you back to your exit from the Ministry, only for the two of you to come face-to-face with your husband, who was seated next to Albus at the time. You could see the outright jealousy and anger in his eyes at the Black's actions, but you were not going to give Severus any solace in his path towards forgiveness from you. Instead, you stalked right past him and made your way out into London and then straight home to your daughter._

"Remus was the only one that I could bring myself to trust fully in those two years. But Severus fought tooth and nail to earn it back despite being the new Potions Master at Hogwarts. It first started with public meetings with (D/N). After about eight months, I'd finally let him back into the house for visits. Another six had passed and he was allowed to stay overnight and have some alone time with (D/N). Another six months after that, I allowed him to live with us once again, only in a separate room. Four months after that, we were sleeping in the same room. On the surface, everything was just as it had been before, but we both knew that there would be no more secrets or lies of that big of a scale."

You shook your head as your mind swirled at those memories before you said, "He did everything he could to be a good father, I'll give him that. I think that he didn't want (D/N) to follow his path, and so he tried so hard to keep her kind and brave and selfless. He put every single ounce of his repentance into raising her to be a great woman. James would have died from shock had he seen how much care and love Severus put into her. Lily would have adored her as if she were her daughter."

Harry nodded as he wiped a couple of the tears that had formed in his eyes. You made your way over and embraced your godson as you said, "They loved you more than anyone else in the world, Harry. And I know that they are so proud of you. Not for being a hero, but for being a kind and caring man and taking your path. While you have your dad's knack for finding trouble, you used it to help others."

You let him cry for as long as he needed before he wiped his tears and pulled away enough to say, "Thank you for everything, _____."

"Of course, dear. You know that I'm always here for you," you responded as you placed your hand over his own. You smiled sadly at him as you said, "You're always more than welcome to come to visit me."

He nodded as he embraced you again.

A few days later, your godson was packed up and ready to head home. You gave him one last hug before he Apparated, whispering in his ear, "No matter what happens, know that you are a Marauder and that there are five more of you there for you."

His eyes widened at that before he smiled as he thanked you again. You gave him one last hug and waved him off. Once he was gone, you smiled sadly as you hobbled back into your home. As you looked at the photos of your beloved friends, you asked, "Have I got the job done then?"

You shook your head at yourself before you went to your wardrobe and pulled out the old journals. All of your memories had been written right here for you and your friends' children and grandchildren. Your will had been set in stone since Voldemort's return. You still had a few years left in you, but you figured that you'd give these to (D/N) before you went. You couldn't very well die at any time near Christmas. What kind of a gift would that be?

You shook your head at yourself again and made your way to bed.


	22. Epilogue: 10 Years Later

Harry Potter remained where he stood after telling his wife that he would catch up with the rest later. Ginny nodded in understanding before she took the kids and followed everyone else to the banquet. (D/N) hung back with him for a few minutes and hugged him as she said, "Merlin knows that she'll nag us if we spend the rest of the day here. Don't take too long, okay?"

Harry nodded and returned his attention to the fresh mound of dirt and headstone when she left, his gaze flickering over to the grave next to it on occasion. He then sighed as he said, "If anyone deserves to rest in peace, it's you, _____."

He could just see you chuckling at him before he continued with, "But really, thank you for everything. We were all lucky to have you with us as long as we did."

Harry wiped the few tears that had escaped away and then said, "You have been such a big part of my life and helped shape me into who I am today. I just wanted to say that I love you, and that the world will never be the same without you, and that I hope you're somewhere that makes you at peace."

He could have sworn that he felt a familiar hand caress his cheek for a second as it wiped away his tears before hearing your voice say, "Just keep all the good times close to your heart and live your life to the fullest, dear. That's what all of us ever wanted you to do. Now, it's time that you made your way over to that banquet."

The green-eyed man chuckled again as he nodded and then made his way over to join the others.

You smiled from across the way as you felt a hand take hold of your own, and so you turned and pecked your husband on the lips before he asked if you were ready to go, to which you said, "I just need another minute to take it all in."

Both of you made your way past a nearby window, and your reflection had caught you by surprise. Your silver hair had returned to (h/c) and those wrinkles that you'd been proud of had disappeared. Hell, you'd looked just as you had the year James and Lily died. Severus chuckled at your shock before turning you over to face him. You finally noticed that he looked just as he had back then as well. You just smiled as you shook your head and said, "I just didn't expect this."

"Come on, Claws. You've lived in the magical world how long and this is what surprises you?"

You looked around for James but could not see him. Severus simply offered you his arm and said, "Potter and Black are up to their old tricks again. We better head off before they do something too foolish."

You chuckled as you took his arm before you asked, "How do we get there?"

"It's as simple as Apparating."

You nodded and let your husband lead you wherever you were going. When you arrived, you saw Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, and Tonks first. You then spotted your parents, mother-in-law, Mad-Eye, Albus, and so many other loved ones that you couldn't help the tears streaming down your face. Lily walked up and embraced you as she whispered in your ear, "Welcome home, _____."

Your dam broke at that as you outright sobbed in relief before Remus and Tonks hugged you. Sirius gave you a peck on the cheek, mindful of the close eye that your husband was keeping on him at the time. And for the first time, you saw James Potter crying freely as he embraced you as tight he could. You were shaking at this point due to your joyous sobbing and he said, "Everything's okay now Claws. No need for tears."

You gave him a light hit in the chest as you sputtered out, "You still haven't learned that you can't control my emotions."

He just chuckled before he led you over to everyone else. In what felt like minutes, you'd been in contact with every single person you knew that had passed on before you, and you all reminisced on the past. Before you knew it, your husband had pulled you towards him again, and you smiled as he wrapped his arms around you without a care in the world that people were watching the two of you, which made your smile turn into a grin before your thoughts turned toward everyone that you had left behind. Severus noticed your change in mood and said, "It will take time, but you will see them again."

"It's so strange that I won't be there for them directly anymore. Perhaps Harry was right in the fact that I deserved a little peace," you chuckled out at the end, to which your husband simply shook his head at you.

"Come on, Claws! You're missing out on your party!" Sirius called out to the two of you, to which you turned to see just how quickly everything had been set up. As you shook your head at the old dog when the music began to play, you were pleasantly surprised when your husband led you onto the dance floor, to which he rolled his eyes as he said, "You were the one who wished that you could have had at least one dance after we were married."

You laughed as you both began the dance with everyone else.


End file.
